Bank holiday paramedic 999 calls up 15 per cent
Call-outs for paramedics in the Black Country on the first day of the August Bank Holiday weekend rose almost 15 per cent on the previous year, new figures have revealed.
West Midlands Ambulance Service, which had a total of 11,639 emergency calls over the four days, from Friday to Monday, says the weather was partly to blame for the increase.
Service spokesman Murray McGregor said the warm weather saw more people outside, increasing the risk of accidents, while torrential downpours saw more traffic accidents.
Across the four days, there were 547 more calls than the previous year for the service, which has more people working to cover for the busy time.
In Staffordshire there was an increase of eight per cent in calls across the four days, up to 2,224 call-outs.
In Birmingham there an increase of 7.5 per cent to 2,925 call-outs and Worcestershire 6.9 per cent to 995 calls.
Shropshire bucked the trend with a slight fall in call numbers, down 1.4 per cent to 704 call-outs.
In the Black Country, the ambulance service was called to two crashes on busy roads. Firefighters were first called to the junction between Foundry Lane and Rabone Lane in Smethwick after a car and a van crashed causing an oil spillage at a junction.
The crash involved a large yellow van and a black Chevrolet 4x4 vehicle and happened at 10.30am on Saturday.
The car was left smashed up against the wall, with a wheel bent inwards and damage to the bonnet and passenger door.
Elsewhere in Smethwick – on Saturday evening at around 9.30pm – two men were taken to hospital after a two-car crash. One of the men had a suspected back injury.
The incident, which happened on Hagley Road in Bearwood, saw fire crews from Woodgate Valley Fire Station, Handsworth Fire Station and Woodgate Fire Station attend the scene.
Emergency services director Craig Cooke said: "When many of us were enjoying time with friends, family and enjoying a few days off, our staff were working day and night to ensure people had the highest levels of clinical care when they needed it most.
"Given the expectation of high demand, we planned well and that ensured we were able to deal with patients in a timely manner.
"I would like to particularly thank the many staff who were prepared to work additional shifts."
