Organ ambulance in bottle attack

By Nigel Gould

August 10, 2005

Doctors delivering vital human organs for transplantation came under attack by bottle-throwing thugs along Northern Ireland's Westlink, it emerged last night.

A private ambulance ferrying a specialist team from the world-famous Freeman Hospital in Newcastle Upon Tyne was on its way to Belfast International Airport in the early hours of Monday morning when a bottle crashed against the sunroof of the vehicle.

The driver then had to swerve to avoid glass and empty crates strewn across the road.

The team on board, including a surgeon, doctor and specialist nurse, were shaken in the attack - but no-one was hurt.

The ambulance, a people carrier, belonging to ProParamedics Professional Private Ambulance company, continued on its journey - and the organs were safely delivered.

Earlier, the organs had been removed from the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast by the specialist team and were being rushed back to Freeman.

Managing director, John Cunningham, said a doctor sitting directly under the sunroof when the bottle hit, was "extremely lucky."

"Had this been a brick, he may not be alive today," he said. "The brick would have crashed through the window. Everyone was badly shaken up.

"As soon as it happened the driver showed quick-thinking and drove as fast as he could.

"With organs it is all about time. You cannot afford to lose any time and had we stalled or the ambulance crashed the organs would have been rendered useless.

"The people who did this were deplorable. This was an absolute disgrace.

"They clearly knew what they were doing. The vehicle is clearly marked - I would have no doubt they would have known this was an ambulance.

"I have to play tribute to the driver. He did well to keep focused and get the team safely to the airport and deliver the organs safely and, importantly, on time.

"This was a very frightening experience for all those on board."

Mr Cunningham said that as a result of the incident he was having to consider fortifying the vehicles - with the possibility of grids been placed over sunroofs.

Yesterday, the Belfast Telegraph revealed that assaults on healthcare workers across Northern Ireland had rocketed to nearly 5,500 in just a year.

The shock tally is the highest since records began in the late 90s.

New figures show there were 3,825 physical attacks recorded against NHS staff province-wide over the past year - and 1,624 verbal assaults.

The overall total is more than three times the number for 1999-2000 - and shows a rise of almost 400 on that for 2002-03, when the figures were last collated.

Victims include doctors, nurses, paramedics and ambulance drivers.

All of them came under attack as they went about their work in the various services throughout the NHS.

This article posted September 4, 2005.

Organ ambulance in bottle attack

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