Some witnesses were in the area during an incident were a runner collapsed and died. According to them, policemen called for help, but the emergency first responders arrived 25 minutes late. An ambulance was requested at least four times, but they also arrived 25 minutes late only after a participant in the Montreal Marathon event collapsed and died later.
Quick response
The coroner office of Quebec has begun investigating the death of the runner named Patrick Neely, in his 20’s. he collapsed about a kilometer from the finishing line. The incident happened on a Sunday morning.
The police stated in the news that they called three different times on their radio. They were asking for an ambulance because a runner had collapsed. Another police followed it up with a fourth call for an ambulance. Still, there was no sign of an ambulance.
A witness named Josee Gagnon who was watching from the sidelines saw what happened to Neely. She immediately rushed to Neely and immediately provide CPR on him. She offered water to cool him down and gave him comfort until an ambulance arrived in the area.
Other witnesses including a nurse joined with Gagnon in providing CPR on Neely. Gagnon looked over her phone’s history, and she was able to tell how much time had passed. Why was the first call of the police for an ambulance not heard? It was already 25 minutes still no ambulance.
Gagnon eventually called the emergency numbers and asked what was taking them too long in responding to the emergency. The operator told her that they did not receive any calls about the incident.
According to Veronique Tremblay, who is the spokesperson for the Urgences-sante, said that they receive the call and first responders arrived in the area after 8 minutes, by which a full 25 minutes had passed.
Furthermore, Tremblay said the first call they received came from a female police officer. The officer had radioed the incident to a police dispatcher who in turn advised the Urgences-sante. They again received 2 calls from citizens but no other calls before that.
Another witness who joined in the event, said there should always be medical teams, first responders equipped with first aid kits and an AED should be posted along the last kilometers before the finishing line. You can never tell anything can happen. “The organization failed in its responsibilities.”
The director of the Montreal Marathon race stated in the news that he will focus on the family of Neely, his friends and extends his condolences to them. I am very grateful for the fast actions of the witnesses in providing CPR to Neely.
For more information about this story, click here to read now.
LEARN MORE
Learn how to help by enrolling in a first aid and CPR class and for more information, check out these sources: