Miracle escape for emergency crews hit by motorist

Feb 7 2010 Sunday Sun

The North East Ambulance Service sent four more units to the scene to ferry the injured to Wansbeck General Hospital, in Ashington, Northumberland.

The road was closed to allow for recovery of the vehicles and road gritting.

Tony Yeowart, Station Manager at Morpeth Fire station, said: “I had just moved my car behind the police car on the verge when the accident happened. “My car took the brunt of the collision and suffered extensive damage.

“The car that hit the emergency vehicles had a male driver, a male adult passenger and a young boy aged around eight years of age.”

Mark Cotton, North East Ambulance Service head of communications, said: “The patient suffered whiplash and got it all over again when the car hit the ambulance.

“The two paramedics also suffered whiplash and were taken to hospital.

“If the accident had happened two seconds earlier the car would have hit all three at the back of the vehicle and this could of ended in tragedy.”

“It’s too early to say how much damage has occurred to the ambulance as it has yet to be assessed.”

Officers had dealt with a series of minor accidents on the A197, where difficult driving conditions led to a total of eight cars leaving the road.

No one suffered major injuries but one man was taken to hospital with head injuries, not thought to be serious.

At around 9.05am emergency crews attended another accident when a car left the road near Mitford, Northumberland.