BUSY AMBULANCES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23134, 5 September 1938, Page 10

BUSY AMBULANCES

WEEK-END DEMANDS 900 MILES COVERED DRIVER'S ARDUOUS TRIP FOUR ACCIDENTS ON WAY With 60 trips accounting for moro than 900 miles of travel, St. John ambulances stationed at Auckland were in constant demand over tho week-end. Both on Saturday and yesterday tho transport staff on duty at the Rutland Street headquarters was kept fully occupied, the programme of assignments including eight calls to accidents. One trip undertaken on Saturday was tho conveying of a woman invalid from Auckland to Huntly, where she was transferred to another St. John ambulance from Hamilton for transport to Te Kuiti. An even longer journey was mado yesterday by an ambulance which was despatched on a rapid roturn trip to Thames. In addition, there were runs during the week-end to Mercer, Waiuku, Castor Bay and Papakura, two journeys to Papatoetoo and six to North Shore suburbs. Roadside Help Indicating the week-end toll of tho road, four separate motor accidents were encountered on Saturday afternoon by one of tho drivers, Mr. H. Ryan, when returning to Auckland after taking a patient to Huntly. In two cases, Mr. Rvan was required to givo medical assistance, and he brought ono injured man to the Auckland Hospital. At Rangiriri tho ambulance passed two motor-cars locked together follow-

ing a collision. Shortly afterward tho driver disicovered a motor-car that had plunged down a steep bank into a pool of flood vvator 3ft. deep. In neither caso were his services required.

First-aid Rendered The third accident had occurred at Mercer, where a pillion rider on a motor-cycle suffered head injuries when the machine skidded and threw him on to the road. The injured man, Mr. Hoy Hugh Gilmore Watta, was brought to the Auckland Hospital in tho ambulance.

The chapter of incidents was closed at Papakura, where Mr. Ryan was able to render lirst-aid to several passengers in a motor-bus which, after being involved in a collision with two motorcars, left the road and ran down a bank. The ambulance was ono of the first vehicles to arrive at the scene of the accident.