A Nova Scotia mother says she had to drive her son to hospital alone on Canada Day when an ambulance didn’t show up after more than 40 minutes.
Hundreds celebrated and attended events across the Maritimes on Friday, with many looking to return to private celebrations. Felicia Holden and her eight-year-old son, Jackson, were attending events on the beach in Pugwash, North Carolina, when the incident happened.
“When he got into the bouncy castle he went through it pretty quickly and when he got out he said he didn’t feel well and felt dizzy. We were going to take him home, but when he left he was as white as a ghost and passed out. Not once, but twice,” Holden said.
They immediately called 911, but help was slow to arrive.
“We waited down on the bank for half an hour and 40 minutes and then took him to the hospital ourselves. We were there another 45 minutes before the paramedic even arrived,” Holden said.
Holden says she was later told there were no ambulances in the area. She says the closest one was over an hour away in Pictou, NS
“When the paramedic came to the hospital, she did explain and said she was sorry. She said she asked for an ambulance to stay in Wallace so there would be at least one on shore nearby, but they wouldn’t leave them there. They sent them to Pictou,” Holden said.
In an email to CTV News, Emergency Health Services said in part, “The event the family attended was one of several held in communities across the province on Canada Day, putting additional strain on emergency response resources in the province. EHS Operations is working very closely with its healthcare and government partners to find solutions to these issues, and has made a number of changes in recent months to that end.”
Despite the explanation, Holden still thinks there should have been an ambulance in town at the time.
“Because there were hundreds, if not more, in Pugwash at the time because it was a big event, so there had to be one anyway,” Holden said.
Holden says he’s glad a nurse was in the area and on the scene to help and keep the family calm.
Meanwhile, EHS said they are deeply concerned to hear about the experience and understand how stressful these situations can be.
Add Comment