Busy hour puts ambulance service at full stretch
THREE people were taken to hospital after a collision between two cars along Route de Plaisance between Forest and St Peter’s on Friday afternoon.
Police and two ambulances were called to the incident, which happened at about 5.
Police said that a white Nissan Juke had been travelling along Route de Plaisance when it collided with a grey Skoda Octavia.
The collision pinned the Nissan against a hedge.
Four people were in the Nissan, while three, including a small child, were in the Skoda.
All seven occupants were checked over by ambulance staff at the scene, and three were taken to hospital as a precaution.
Significant damage was caused to the front of both cars, and the section of Route de Plaisance where the collision occurred was closed to road users while the incident was cleared.
The crash was one of a number of calls for the ambulance service during the course of the afternoon, during what it described as ‘an intense period of extreme call volume’ in the space of an hour which meant the entire emergency ambulance fleet was deployed, with a back-up St John charity vehicle also put into operation and another charity ambulance made ready to maintain coverage.
Additional staff were called into work and senior officers were redeployed to frontline clinical duties to respond to incidents.
Ambulance and Rescue CEO and on-call senior duty officer Mark Mapp expressed gratitude to the staff who responded to medical cases and those who were off duty and returned to work, or worked beyond their scheduled shift times, to ensure emergency coverage for the community.
‘We have well-rehearsed emergency preparedness, response, and resilience plans for events like this, which include utilising St John charity vehicles,’ he said.
‘During periods of high demand, 999 calls are triaged and categorised, ensuring life-threatening cases receive immediate attention while less urgent cases are handled appropriately.
He thanked the St John charity for its assistance in providing two of vehicles during the period.
n Police would like to hear from anyone who may have witnessed the accident. They are asked to contact PC 177 Le Galloudec on 01481222222.
