An Armagh councillor has described it as a “miracle” that he walked away from a three-car collision on the Markethill Road with only minor injuries.
The crash happened shortly before 5pm on Thursday and involved Paul Berry’s car and two other vehicles. One of the cars left the road and overturned in a nearby field.
Mr Berry, an Independent unionist councillor on Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Council, said he escaped the collision with only a few bruises. He thanked the emergency services who attended and said they had acted quickly and professionally.
Two men treated in hospital
One man involved in the crash, who was in his 70s, was in hospital. The driver whose vehicle ended up in the neighbouring field was also being treated for leg injuries.
According to Mr Berry, both men waited for up to three hours for an ambulance to arrive. He said the delay added to the pressure of dealing with the crash on a cold, wet night, while stressing that he did not blame the ambulance service.
“It was a miracle I walked out of it with only a few bruises. I would like to thank the emergency services who came to the scene and helped,”
Mr Berry said he tried to keep one of the injured people talking while they waited for help. He said he was fortunate to be fit enough to do so, and that relatives who arrived at the scene were terrified by the wait.
Councillor to raise ambulance delays
The councillor said he planned to raise the issue of ambulance waiting times with the Southern Trust. He said people could be left at crash scenes without an ambulance present to provide assistance.
“I’m going to raise it with the Southern Trust that waiting times are now a serious issue. People are left at the scene of a crash without an ambulance being there to help them.”
Mr Berry also called for action from Stormont over ambulance response times. He said one factor affecting delays in the area was ambulances being visibly queued outside Craigavon hospital.
He said the journey from the Markethill Road to Craigavon should take between 10 and 15 minutes, but that it took hours in this case. He credited the PSNI, fire service and bystanders with arriving or helping quickly.
“Stormont need to get its act together with ambulance waiting times.”
The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service and the Department of Health had been contacted for comment.