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Woman dies after ambulance sat-nav blunder

Friday, 11 July 2008

A woman died after an ambulance sat-nav system failed and the driver took a wrong turn.

During the 33-mile journey to hospital Kay Gadsby, 21, kept asking her mother: "I'm not going to die, am I, mummy?"

Kay's dad Russell, driving his own car, got to the hospital 15 minutes before the ambulance - despite stopping for petrol.

Russell, 50, said: "I left at the same time. They were going to take a main road but they ended up on one which takes longer.

"I must have been at least 20 minutes behind as I had to stop.

But when I got to the hospital I was 15 minutes before them.

"They said the delay was minutes but I think it was a lot more."

Kay, who had heart and kidney problems and collapsed at her parents' caravan in Mablethorpe, Lincs, died in hospital that night. Russell and wife Georgina, who was with Kay on the May 11 ride to Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital in Grimsby, think she might have been saved.

Georgina, 46, said: "The driver was lost so the lady paramedic in the back went up front and I sat with Kay, who was panicking."

Russell added: "The paramedic was ready to give Kay help but my wife said she spent valuable time with her head out of the window trying to find the way.

"Kay got bone cancer at six and was the UK's youngest joint heart and kidney swap patient.

"No one can say if Kay would have survived. But taxi drivers have to know the way, so why don't ambulance drivers?"

East Midlands Ambulance Service said: "The sat-nav failed and the driver, who usually works in the Skegness area, took a wrong turn. The crew member in the rear, familiar with the area, directed the driver back on course.

"Ms Gadsby's condition was monitored and our crew were ready to act should her condition have deteriorated."

Staff are to get more training to ensure they know where hospitals are, said the spokesman.