A PARAMEDIC had an abusive letter stuck to his ambulance by a resident who could not enter their home – as he battled to save a young girl’s life.
Chris James Nixon was told his behaviour was “appalling” and warned that pictures had been taken of his parking at the emergency on Friday.
The furious resident signed off that they had not been able to get in to their home as a result of the ambulance being there.
Chris, who lives in Tynemouth, Tyne and Wear, and works for the North East Ambulance Service, posted the handwritten note online.
He wrote: “Whilst working hard to save a young girl’s life in the back of the ambulance, received this from a fan who left it on our windscreen!”
The letter, corrected for spelling and grammar, reads: “I have taken pictures of you leaving your ambulance in the middle of the road, when there is no need for. See pic.
“Your behaviour is appalling and you should be held responsible for your actions as ‘professional driver’.”
The letter is signed off: “Resident who can’t get to his house!”
Kriss Elkaypea was among those to react with disgust, writing: “Pity they didn’t leave their address so you could accidentally (of course) crash the unoccupied ambulance thru his front wall later.”
Kristie Graham said: “Wow! I can’t believe these people actually exist! What an absolute d***!”
Daniel Jones commented: “So when they call for an ambulance, make sure you park legally, maybe pay and display. All the while they’re bleeding to death.”
Dan Douglas wrote: “Please tell me where they live.”
Jimmy Craik said: “Should have reversed straight over the c***.”
Sarah Coyne fumed: “So if their relative was gravely ill, they’d expect you to drive around the block to look for a parking space, potentially park a distance away from the patient, and delay their emergency, life-saving treatment?
“Should have left their name so we can do just that if the need ever arises…”
Some people hit out at the grammar and spelling mistakes made in the note.
Chris Holmes wrote: “The author could have made good use of their waiting time to research how to use the English language. Cretin…on several levels.”
Craig Hall said: “I hope you corrected their spelling. First and foremost.”
Victoria Williamson commented: “That’s absolutely disgusting! That’s after about 10 attempts to understand any of what he said!”
Chris’s only response to the comments was to spell out the urgency and difficulty of the job.
He wrote: “Was a bad trauma job as well. HART (Hazardous Area Response Team) was in the back with me.”
A North East Ambulance Service spokesman said: “One of our ambulance crews was dealing with a life-threatening trauma on the back of an ambulance recently when a resident left a note with a complaint about the position of the vehicle. The crew was busy delivering life-saving treatment at the time, which was critical for their patient.
“Whilst our teams make every effort to avoid obstructing the highway, there are occasions in the course of their work when a patient’s life might be at risk and every second of treatment is critical in their care. On those occasions, moving a vehicle may not be the highest priority for our staff.
“Understandably, the team concerned was surprised and disappointed to have received a note of complaint given what they were dealing with.
“We appreciate that on this occasion a nearby driver did experience some inconvenience and would not have been aware of what was going on inside the ambulance but we rely on the support of members of the public at such times to be patient, bear with us and allow us to deliver critical life-saving treatment.”
Last December, a paramedic in the North West Ambulance Service shared a picture of a letter left on their ambulance in similar circumstances.
The expletive-ridden note branded the paramedics “a***holes” and “d***heads” for being blocked in to their driveway in Manchester.
