Coroner Links Ambulance Service “Failure” to Motorcyclist’s Death

A coroner has stated that a “failure” in the response time of an ambulance service partially contributed to the death of a motorcyclist, who waited nearly an hour for a paramedic after a collision. Aaron Morris, aged 31, passed away approximately six hours subsequent to his motorbike’s collision with a car on 1 July 2022, in Esh Winning, a location close to Durham. Coroner Crispin Oliver was informed that an ambulance took 54 minutes to reach the crash site, attributed to high demand for services. Evidence presented by an expert indicated that Mr. Morris’s likelihood of survival could have been as high as 95% if he had received prompt treatment. The North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) had an established target of 18 minutes for arrival at an incident scene. At the inquest, held in Crook, County Durham, the coroner was apprised that an air ambulance could have been dispatched to the location sooner, though this action was not taken. He noted that a specialist paramedic, designated as a clinical team leader (CTL), was not assigned to the collision. Mr. Oliver stated: “It is highly likely that Aaron Morris would have survived had available specialist medical treatment been applied in a timely manner.” He further explained that such treatment was not administered promptly due to “overstretched resources” and the omission of deploying a CTL to the incident. The inquest also revealed that Mr. Morris’s pregnant wife, Samantha, encountered the crash site while on her way back from a hospital appointment. Furthermore, it was reported that the father of five suffered a cardiac arrest within the ambulance, which Mrs. Morris then guided to the hospital because the driver was unfamiliar with the route. Mr. Oliver concluded: “It is highly likely that Aaron Morris would have survived had available specialist medical treatment been applied in a timely manner.” He added: “Aaron Morris died from injuries sustained in a road traffic collision and failure of the response of the ambulance service, contributed to by neglect.” Dr. Kat Noble, medical director for NEAS, stated that the service “unreservedly apologise” for failing to deliver appropriate care. She remarked, “We accept that opportunities were missed to deploy a clinical team leader to this incident,” and further noted that the service fully accepts the coroner’s conclusions and has implemented several measures following its internal investigations into Mr. Morris’s fatality. Mrs. Morris expressed that the transparency demonstrated by organizations like NEAS was “appreciated.” She commented: “After hearing the evidence from Dr Noble… I would now feel confident dialling 999 and requesting a North East ambulance which I never thought I would say. “I want to now focus on my children and moving forwards.” Additional reporting was provided by PA Media. For updates, follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor, and Instagram. Story ideas can be submitted to northeastandcumbria@bbc.co.uk. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content found on external websites. Information regarding our external linking policy is available.