AN ELDERLY man who fell on a Slaithwaite pavement had to wait almost 90 minutes for an ambulance.
Passers-by rushed to help the 83-year-old man, who fell after tripping on a loose paving slab at the junction of Carr Lane and Britannia Road.
Villagers dialled 999 at around 2.50pm on Friday afternoon, but an ambulance did not arrive on the scene until 4.15pm.
Paramedics arrived at about 3.50pm to tend to the man while he waited for an ambulance, villagers said.
Now Yorkshire Ambulance Service have apologised and promised to investigate the concerns.
Melanie Roberts, who owns ‘M Roberts Books & ??????’ in Britannia Road, said: “This is scandalous. Is this is how old people are treated?
“I just couldn’t believe it when I spoke to the ambulance people on the phone. They said they hadn’t prioritised it. I said: ‘You must be joking!’”
Margaret Baverstock, who runs The Hardware Company, also in Britannia Road, added: “I think he tripped and fell on an uneven paving slab and he was complaining about his hip and leg hurting.
“People working around here rang the ambulance service three times and firefighters from the local fire service who turned up to help also rang.
“When I asked them why it had taken an hour they said it was not a priority.
“What if it had been pouring down? I hate to think what it would be like if it was my father.”
A spokesperson for Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust said: “We were experiencing high levels of demand in the area at the time and every effort was made to get an ambulance to the scene as quickly as possible. The Trust would like to apologise for the delay in reaching this patient and we will be looking into the matter further.”
