Ambulance service woes

[Vorpal]

Sorry to hear about Mrs. FW. I hope she heals well & quickly. I don't expect that paving slab 'meets criteria' for repair. I hope they will do something, now!

[pete75]

Hi Guys

Many thanks for your continued good wishes. I've been out again this morning and re photographed the pavement with a rule and square. looks just short of 3/4"

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What has happened is, Mrs FW was walking along and placed her foot over the join between the two tiles or whatever they are? and her foot has rolled over causing her to loose balance.

Unfortunately not a big enough fault for a successful claim..

http://www.councilclaims.co.uk/pavement ... ion-claim/

"The pavement defect must be at least 1inch – When making a compensation claim against the council for a pavement trip, the defect that has caused the accident must be at least 1inch. For example, if you have tripped due to a raised paving slab, the raised area must at least 1inch above the normal level of the pavement. If you have tripped due to a pot hole on the pavement, the pot hole must be at least 1 inch deep.

Although a defect which is less than 1inch can cause accidents which result in significant injuries, it is very unlikely you would be able to make a successful pavement trip compensation claim. Cases have been considered by judges but have been unsuccessful, with one judge stating that “a pavement is not to be judged by the standards of a bowling green”.

[ferrit worrier]

Hi Pete75

I must admit that I'm thinking that your possibly correct, but, given the amount of pain and discomfort that Mrs FW has had over the last couple of days it's going to "Get a go " one thing that is in our favour is that he defect has been reported before by shop keepers and staff and it is know that a number of people have fallen here. as far as I can see the one inch rule is not cast in stone. In Ireland it's 20mm. At work we've just had the reception area tiled with non slip tiles (several hundred square feet) and they are laid absolutely flat and level, as the tiler said " I don't want people chasing for tripping up"

One point that we're looking at is the fact that the dip in the pavement isn't visible from either end. it's only visible from the side. Mrs FW put her foot onto the joint between and then turned her ankle into the dip and lost her balance.

We've back at Hospital tomorrow for the surgery and then hopefully she'll be back home Tuesday

Malc

[thirdcrank]

... as far as I can see the one inch rule is not cast in stone. ...

Good to see you are managing to retain your sense of humour, or perhaps that was unintended. A flag one inch proud at the edge is quite an obstacle. I don't suppose anybody has ever done any research but the risk of tripping can't be in direct proportion to the height of the defect. Below a certain height, most people would pass over a defect without even noticing. Above a certain height, most people must see it and take avoiding action. There must be a height somewhere between where it's still relatively hard to see but high enough to trip most people. I should have though that one inch was in that danger range.

Best wishes to Mrs FW for a speedy recovery and good luck if you decide on legal action.

[axel_knutt]

I wish Mrs FW a speedy recovery.

I've had half a dozen rides recently, and found that they vary quite a bit. The quickest ones took about 6 minutes for the Paramedic to arrive, but the first one was the slowest. It was the Monday after a pop festival, so a lot of the ambulances were still tied up because many of the revellers had decided to stay another night due to the good weather.

The Paramedic arrived after 30 mins, and spent 11 mins deciding he wanted an ambulance. After another 34mins control rang him back to ask if he still wanted one as there weren't any available, so he upgraded the status to Red 1 ( Red= heart or breathing, and 1 is the top priority, such as for those whose heart has already stopped). We heard it coming, but it still took another 15 minutes. Twenty three minutes to load me on the ambulance, and 29 to the hospital. The triage nurse wouldn't listen to the ambulance crew, so I was put on a low priority and it took 23 minutes to get to a cubicle. After another 10 minutes the nurse came in to connect the ECG, saw a heart rate of 230, and went to find me a bed in Resus pronto.

Total time from 999 to Resus: 3 hours.

The second one took just over an hour, which was much better.

[pete75]

Hi Pete75

I must admit that I'm thinking that your possibly correct, but, given the amount of pain and discomfort that Mrs FW has had over the last couple of days it's going to "Get a go " one thing that is in our favour is that he defect has been reported before by shop keepers and staff and it is know that a number of people have fallen here. as far as I can see the one inch rule is not cast in stone. In Ireland it's 20mm. At work we've just had the reception area tiled with non slip tiles (several hundred square feet) and they are laid absolutely flat and level, as the tiler said " I don't want people chasing for tripping up"

One point that we're looking at is the fact that the dip in the pavement isn't visible from either end. it's only visible from the side. Mrs FW put her foot onto the joint between and then turned her ankle into the dip and lost her balance.

We've back at Hospital tomorrow for the surgery and then hopefully she'll be back home Tuesday

Malc

It is a bit bizarre - if someone trips on a half inch fault or a two inch one the effects are likely to be the same. It could even be argued that if a slab is 2" out it's a lot easier to see and avoid thus less dangerous than 1/2".

[ferrit worrier]

Hi Pete75

I must admit that I'm thinking that your possibly correct, but, given the amount of pain and discomfort that Mrs FW has had over the last couple of days it's going to "Get a go " one thing that is in our favour is that he defect has been reported before by shop keepers and staff and it is know that a number of people have fallen here. as far as I can see the one inch rule is not cast in stone. In Ireland it's 20mm. At work we've just had the reception area tiled with non slip tiles (several hundred square feet) and they are laid absolutely flat and level, as the tiler said " I don't want people chasing for tripping up"

One point that we're looking at is the fact that the dip in the pavement isn't visible from either end. it's only visible from the side. Mrs FW put her foot onto the joint between and then turned her ankle into the dip and lost her balance.

We've back at Hospital tomorrow for the surgery and then hopefully she'll be back home Tuesday

Malc

It is a bit bizarre - if someone trips on a half inch fault or a two inch one the effects are likely to be the same. It could even be argued that if a slab is 2" out it's a lot easier to see and avoid thus less dangerous than 1/2".

Very good point, hadn't thought about it like that! Cheers I wonder if they had all these problems when councils used 3'x2' flags !

[Vorpal]

1" seems excessive. The DMRB requires flush within 2 mm for new installation. There isn't any specific guidance in the maintenance part of DMRB, but their section on risk assessment is pretty clear that the needs of less able pedestrians, such as the elderly, and those assisted by mobility aids need to be considered.

IMO, A 1 cm defect should be repaired on that basis, let alone a 1".

[Smudgerz]

I came off going over the tram tracks in Newcastle, took three years to get ANY compensation.

[Edwards]

I hope the OP went well and she is home in the morning.

[ferrit worrier]

Got back home about an hour ago, op went ok took approx. 3hrs, the top of the humorous had snapped off and the ball was in three pieces and part of the socket had been damaged / broken. these CT scans are amazing for detail. The hospital staff from the porters to the consultant have been great. Hopefully they'll let her home tomorrow.

Got a few phone calls to make so I'm off.

Thanks again for all the good wishes.

Malc

[Psamathe]

Over a year ago now but my very aged parents (85 and 90) had the need to call an ambulance. My Mum can hardly walk her arthritis it so bad and my Dad lacks much strength (at 90). And my Mum fell over and my Dad did not have enough strength to lift her back up. So ambulance was called. After an hour my Mum (stuck on the floor) was starting to suffer and with no ambulance they called my brother who they drove over (some distance/time) and he helped my Mum up.

Ambulance never arrived.

I have since seen on TV/Radio (cannot remember exact source) that where there is not injury they don't always send an ambulance in response to a call - though it would help if they at least said something to that effect. We have now found a local person who has the gear to lift my Mum back up from a fall (some inflation device) as we clearly cannot rely on ambulances. Shame really.

Ian

[thirdcrank]

There seems to be a mega crisis in A&E provision and I doubt if the main problem lies with the ambulance service. The NHS is becoming increasingly organised on 9-5 Monday to Friday lines (with poets day as well.) Emergencies don't fit that model. There's also the matter of separating the cases really needing hospital treatment from those that don't but if you can't contact a GP, A&E is the default option.

I've dialled 999 three times for anambulance since I retired. The first was when I found my mother on the floor. The resposnse was brilliant (once they'd found the block of flats.) The next was when my wife and I saw a very old lady go headlong in the street. Again, prompt, professional service. The third was when my wife, having been discharged too soon from hospital became seriously ill. The ambulance was there before the 999 ended - we only live a mile from the ambulance station - but the bollocking I got from the paramedic for ringing had me on the point of asking him to leave. Shge was taken to the ambulance and when connected up to the diagnostic equipment, my diagnosis proved to be the right one and it was blue lights down to Jimmy's where she was admitted and remained some time. Whenever I've told tale this to former colleagues, the response has always been along the lines "But you were at Force Control ...." I have plenty of experience of receiving 999's and it's not a service I would abuse.

[squeaker]

There's also the matter of separating the cases really needing hospital treatment from those that don't but if you can't contact a GP, A&E is the default option.

A point made in this BBC piece.

Best wishes to Mrs FW.

[Edwards]

Just wondering if Mrs FW is back at home?