A South Kerry man had to wait three hours for medical assistance after sustaining a serious leg injury, as there was no ambulance available at the time.
Brendan Murphy from Portmagee fell from a ladder recently and injured his leg, exposing bone.
Brendan Murphy was climbing a ladder to get into his attic, when the ladder slipped and he ended up trapped in the ladder and was hanging upside down.
His leg was injured badly and bone was exposed.
Mr Murphy managed to free himself and called 999; he was told the call was logged but there wasn’t any ambulance available at the time.
After a three hour wait, an emergency response vehicle came to his house and suggested they call for a helicopter, given the extent of the injury.
He was transferred to UHK by helicopter.
Brendan Murphy says he was in agony and feared for his life while waiting for assistance:
The National Ambulance Service says at times when they’re experiencing a very high demand for 999 services some patients have longer waits.
It says as demand can exceed available resources, 999 calls are clinically triaged and prioritised to ensure that those patients with life threatening injuries or conditions receive the fastest response possible.
