Family blame parked cars for delayed ambulance

The household of a pistillate who died aft suffering a cardiac apprehension accidental their neighbours had to determination a parked car to let an ambulance to entree their street.

Philomena Donnelly had the cardiac apprehension astatine location successful westbound Belfast successful August and died 5 days later.

An ambulance arrived astatine her code wrong 11 minutes - which is wrong the people for a class 1 incidental specified arsenic a cardiac apprehension - but Mrs Donnelly's hubby Damien told BBC News NI it was initially blocked from accessing the road.

The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) said it could not remark connected idiosyncratic cases but expressed sympathy to the Donnelly household and said it would straight prosecute with them implicit immoderate questions.

Ambulance crews tin acquisition a scope of issues which tin impact effect times, the work said.

"These tin see (but are not restricted to) postulation congestion, roadworthy closures, mediocre upwind conditions, pedestrian activity, deficiency of location numbers etc," it added.

Mr Donnelly said the paramedics told him streets successful Turf Lodge were often blocked for each exigency services.

The household present privation to rise consciousness of parking issues successful their area.

Mr Donnelly told BBC News NI helium performed CPR arsenic helium waited for the ambulance and that helium could perceive sirens successful the background.

"That sound seemed to past for a batch longer than what I would person expected," helium said.

Mr Donnelly said entree to the thoroughfare was "impossible" owed to cars parked connected some sides of the road.

He said neighbours had to determination a car truthful the ambulance could get down the street.

"They’re stopping to hold for idiosyncratic to determination a car," helium said.

"If the ambulance had a consecutive run, it would person got present quicker."

The Department for Infrastructure (DfI) said it would sojourn the country and marque changes wrong its remit.

The couple's daughter, Aimee, said determination were unanswered questions.

"My mummy was successful cardiac arrest, and each 2nd counts," she said.

"If the paramedics were capable to get determination adjacent 20 seconds earlier, would the result person been different? It’s the aforesaid question implicit and over. And we’ll ne'er get the reply to it.

"I bash judge it made a difference. This isn’t astir blame, this is astir raising consciousness of wherever to park."

The Social Democratic and Labour Party councillor for the area, Paul Doherty, has been trying to rise consciousness of the issues.

"Residents successful Turf Lodge person been plagued for decades with issues astir parking and congestion. The infrastructure is outdated and the roads are not acceptable for purpose," helium said.

"We can’t person a concern wherever exigency services, beryllium it an ambulance, beryllium it a occurrence service, can’t get into this country to be to radical who are astatine existent risk."

The Donnelly household person requested meetings with the DfI, Housing Executive and Belfast City Council to sermon applicable measures specified arsenic treble yellowish lines.

The DfI confirmed it had received the councillor's petition for a tract sojourn and besides appealed for drivers to beryllium considerate erstwhile they park.

It comes arsenic a caller aviator strategy from Belfast City Council aimed astatine stopping atrocious parking successful southbound and eastbound Belfast began successful October.

Drivers determination could look fines and imaginable prosecution for atrocious parking.

The Donnelly household said parking was besides an contented erstwhile the ceremonial institution brought Philomena home.

Mr Donnelly said the car could not get astir the corner.

"Aimee had to spell up the thoroughfare and find who owned the car that was parked portion Philomena was successful the backmost of the ceremonial director's car, waiting to travel location to rest," helium said.

On the greeting of the funeral, the household said they had to sound connected doors to get cars to move, "just for that spot of dignity astatine the end".

The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service said: "We would similar convey the nationalist for their information and enactment erstwhile encountering ambulance crews who are responding nether exigency conditions i.e. bluish lights and sirens.

"In specified circumstances, clip is of the utmost value but equally, the information of our unit and each roadworthy users is paramount."