NO AMBULANCE

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 55, Issue 32707, 1 May 1946, Page 5

NO AMBULANCE

NEEDED IN PAEROA

IN CASE OF ACCIDENTS

UNNECESSARY SUFFERING

That if an ambulance had been available a good deal of suffering to say the least might have been avoided was an opinion expressed at an inquest held in Paeroa into the death of a young woman who died as the result of an accident a short distance from Paeroa recently.

The coroner, Mr ■C. N. O’Neill, raised' the question during the inquest asking a witness how the man and woman in the accident were conveyed to the hospital.. It was explained that both people who had been seriously injured had to be lifted into a passing car, one in the front seat and the other in the back seat, and thus conveyed to hospital. A considerable time had passed before a car had come, along which would take the injured people to the hospital. The first vehicle to arrive at the scene of the accident had been a Baby Austin and the driver had refused to take the injured people to hospital but had taken one of the uninjured people present into Paeroa to secure a taxi. A taxi had not been available just then and in the meantime a car driven by a Maori had arrived on the scene and conveyed the injured people to hospital. z The victims of the accident had had to lie on the side of the road: awaiting transport and this suffering might have been avoided had an ambulance been available. The coroner commented that it was a matter of public interest and he considered Paeroa should be well able to support an ambulance in the town.