A cyclist has told how she rushed to the aid of paramedics after an ambulance carrying a patient was involved in a late night crash in Perth.
Sarah Marshall was just seconds behind the emergency vehicle when it was involved in a collision with a car on the city’s Atholl Street.
An investigation into the crash has now been launched by the Scottish Ambulance Service.
In the seconds after the collision, Sarah raced to the vehicle to find the cabin filling with smoke but after being assured by the paramedics that they were unhurt, turned her attention to the occupants of the car.
After the 42-year-old advised the passengers not to move the driver, a paramedic took over his treatment.
Sarah said the experience had left her shocked after she realised she was close to being involved in the crash.
“If I’d been five seconds ahead then I could have been hit by the vehicles,” she said.
“I turned out of Stormont Street and the ambulance came down from the direction of the police station. It had sirens and lights on as it passed me and the next thing I know there’s been a collision between it and the car.
“I rushed to the ambulance as I thought the paramedics could be injured – I thought if a paramedic is injured who helps the paramedics. The front of the ambulance was crushed and there was smoke from the engine. I opened the front door of the cab, which was smoky.
“I shouted ‘is everyone okay?’ and they replied from the back of the ambulance that they were.
“I then went to the car where a male passenger was looking badly concussed the side air bags had went up.
“There were two female passengers and they tried to move the injured man but I shouted at them not to move him. I thought it would be a bad idea as he might have broken his neck.
“Thankfully then a paramedic got out of the ambulance and attended to him.
“After that there was very little I could do, so I went home.”
A Scottish Ambulance Service spokesman confirmed a patient had been on board the ambulance at the time of the collision.
He said: “We are aware of an incident involving one of our ambulances on Kinnoull Street, Perth at approximately 10.09pm on Thursday August 27.
“The ambulance did have a patient on board, however, no injury was sustained and the patient was quickly taken to hospital by a second crew.
“Both our crew members were uninjured and the driver and passenger of the other vehicle were taken to Ninewells Hospital by a backup crew as a precaution.
“An investigation into the circumstances of the accident is ongoing.”
A Police Scotland spokesman said: “Police received report of a two-vehicle road traffic crash, involving an ambulance and a black Audi on Atholl Street at its junction with Kinnoull Street in Perth around 10.15pm on Thursday, August 27.
“The driver and passenger of the car were taken to Ninewells Hospital with minor injuries. No-one in the ambulance was injured.
“The road was cleared around 11.45pm.”
