A mum has condemned the actions of an abusive taxi driver who delayed her unconscious son’s emergency trip to hospital after crashing into their ambulance.
Meltham resident Emma Wilson, 37, said that she thought it was ‘abhorrent’ that the driver had been driving carelessly close to the vehicle and threw abuse at its driver, causing it to stop for 15 minutes after police were called.
The ambulance had been racing her sick four-year-old son, Thomas Brook, to Calderdale Royal Hospital when the incident happened on New North Road in Huddersfield at 9.11am on March 21.
He had been suffering from tachycardia (an irregularly elevated heart rate) that had developed from a virus.
Although both vehicles stopped the taxi driver then hurled abuse at the ambulance staff before leaving the scene without waiting for the police to arrive.
Emma had called the ambulance after Thomas collapsed in her arms and became unresponsive at home in Towngate Fold.
She said: “I am still struggling to get my head around the whole experience.
“We were travelling past the former Kirklees College when suddenly I heard a loud bang on the right hand side and the vehicle veered.
“I didn’t know what had happened at first but realised that a taxi had collided with us and its driver was shouting and swearing at our driver then just drove off.
“I can’t believe that someone would react like that to emergency staff, especially when they are in the middle of an emergency.
“We had to sit and wait for the police to arrive which was a really scary experience because I didn’t know what was going to happen to my son.
“Fortunately our driver managed to take down the taxi’s details before he drove off so we were eventually able to leave the scene but I can’t believe what the taxi driver did.
“At the end of the day he could have put a sick person’s life in even more danger and I find it incredibly worrying that he shouted at the team instead of apologising.”
Ambulance staff closely monitored Thomas’s condition during the incident, which is now being investigated by the police.
He was released from hospital the following day, after receiving treatment.
Emma said: “The ambulance team worked really hard and I don’t blame them for what happened at all.
“I really hope that the police find him and that he gets his licence revoked because his actions were disgusting and he could put more people in danger in the future.”
Yorkshire Ambulance Service confirmed the incident was under investigation by the police.
A police spokesman said: "At 9.13am on Friday police were called to a report of an incident involving a dispute between an ambulance and a taxi in New North Road."
Inspector Mark Trueman, who leads the Valleys Neighbourhood Policing Team, said:"While the report was still being taken by the call handler the ambulance crew informed police the taxi had moved and they were continuing their journey to Calderdale Royal Hospital.
"No further reports have been made in relation to the incident."
Click here to take you back to more Huddersfield news.
Want to read, watch and hear more? You can download the FREE Examiner Apple App here, the FREE Examiner Android App here or you can view the paper as an e-edition on your Apple, Android or Kindle device by clicking here
To follow us on Twitter click here
