A distressed young footballer from Hucknall had to wait almost TWO HOURS for an ambulance after he snapped his arm during a match.
Twelve-year-old Ryan Wood, of Co-operative Avenue, had to lie in excruciating pain on a cold, damp pitch while he waited for emergency treatment. He had suffered a nasty double break of his left arm while playing for Hucknall outfit Rolls-Royce Leisure Under-12s in a local-derby against Hucknall Sports Under-12s.
East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) says it regrets the delay, which was caused by paramedics dealing with life-threatening emergencies. But the youngster's mum, Lorraine Wood, has hit out and made an official complaint. "I was hysterical when I found out Ryan had been hurt," said Lorraine, who is a care assistant at the Hallcroft Nursing Home in Hucknall. "The worry just became so much worse when he had to wait. When someone calls 999, you expect there to be a fast response. Something clearly went wrong here and I feel we were let down. "What if Ryan had been on his own with friends? Anything could have happened. He could have gone into shock and suffered life-threatening injuries."
Ryan suffered his accident just ten minutes into the match, which was played at the Goosedale sports ground off Goosedale Lane between Bestwood Village and Papplewick on Tuesday April 3. The pint-sized youngster, who is just 5'1" tall, had gone up for an aerial challenge with a Sports player. Ryan, who goes to Holgate Comprehensive School in Hucknall, suffered a heavy landing and came down on his arm. He also took a bang to the head. Play was immediately halted and 999 called at 6.33 pm.
Ryan was in agony but couldn't be moved or given pain relief until he had been checked by a paramedic. His dad, Kevin, was by his side. But 40 minutes later there was still no sign of an ambulance. It is claimed that the emergency services couldn't find the pitch despite anguished parents and officials from both clubs repeatedly calling 999 to pinpoint the site. Up to 30 adults and players remained with Ryan and two parents stood on Moor Road at its junction with Goosedale Lane to help guide the ambulance.
Finally, an hour after the first call, a clinician in a response vehicle arrived and gave Ryan morphine to numb the pain. It was almost an hour later that the ambulance arrived to take Ryan to Nottingham's Queen's Medical Centre. It took just 19 minutes to get him to the hospital.
The brave youngster had to have the bones snapped back into place before having them manipulated in surgery. He is now back at home with his arm in plaster from his wrist to his elbow. The injury has brought an early end to the football season for Ryan, who is a Notts County fan and has three brothers — Reece (ten), Ashley (eight) and Corey (five).
"I got a call and was able to get to the pitch in five minutes," said Lorraine. "Why did it take so long for the ambulance? "I haven't got any complaints about Ryan's treatment from the paramedics. They were brilliant. But I have complaints about the system."
Phil Milligan, EMAS chief executive, said: "We did not get to Ryan quickly enough and I regret the distress he experienced and the anxiety this must have caused the people who were caring for him at the time. "We are currently implementing a series of changes to improve our response times. "At the time of this emergency, our crews were engaged in responding to life-threatening calls, and the air ambulance was at a road accident. "After assessing Ryan at the scene, we took him to hospital for further treatment and I understand he is making a good recovery."
