In a tragic turn of events, an inquest heard how a pregnant wife had to navigate an ambulance to the hospital as her husband suffered a cardiac arrest in the back because the crew didn’t know the route. Samantha Morris, expecting twins, was en route to see her husband, Aaron Morris, 31, after he spent a night in hospital when she discovered him on the ground following a motorbike crash with a car at the junction of Newhouse Road and Priestburn Close, in Esh Winning, County Durham.
The coroner’s court in County Durham was told a harrowing tale. Aaron was initially conscious and breathing after the accident, but due to a delayed response from Ambulanz, a third-party ambulance service, his condition worsened quickly.
It took an agonising 54 minutes for the ambulance to arrive despite several calls from onlookers, including a nurse practitioner who was a friend of Samantha’s.
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(Image: Newcastle Chronicle)
Aaron tragically passed away shortly after arriving at the University Hospital of North Durham, as reported by Chronicle Live. At the Darlington Coroner’s Court, Samantha shared the heart-breaking moment: “I was there to hold Aaron’s hand as his heart took its last beat.”
The inquest is ongoing, exposing both the deep personal loss and the broader issues within emergency services.
Samantha disclosed that the ambulance driver had asked about the closest trauma centre and was en route to Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) when Aaron suffered a cardiac arrest near Leadgate roundabout. She then directed the driver to the nearest hospital.
Samantha shared her distress, stating: “I was 13 weeks pregnant and my husband was having CPR in the back of the ambulance. Why should I make the decision on what hospital my husband should be taken to? I have to live with the fact that if I said the RVI he might still be alive to this day.”
She added: ” She continued: “[The driver] made the right decision to ask. I don’t fault him for that. My fault in that is the people who manage and train him should have given him the tools to know where the nearest hospital is. He made the right decision that day by using what he had, which was me who lives in the local area.”
(Image: Newcastle Chronicle)
Aaron’s inquest initially started in May and was later postponed after the coroner identified the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) as an interested party. Two officers from Durham Constabulary who were at the collision site were the first to give evidence today, including DC Rebecca Shaw, who informed the hearing that she was the first officer on scene.
She was off-duty and driving in the area when she was redirected around the collision by members of the public.
DC Shaw disclosed at the inquest that she stopped her vehicle after noticing a body surrounded by several people on the road. She then made numerous emergency calls from her mobile phone, which was later given to an off-duty nurse named Helen.
The inquest continues.