Eyre Square - Bad for Ambulances?

Okay, earlier on today I was sitting down at the Merlin Park bus-stop waiting for the bus, when these group of teens walk over. They couldn't have been older than 16 and all American. There were about 6 of them. They walk over and sit down beside me. There's 4 or so sitting down, and 2 others come over. One of the girls was walking really strangely, and saying things like, "oh she's stoned." She has a weird look in her eyes. Then she falls. But its not a fall of sorts. She more.. gets on her knees and lies on the ground. Her friends are laughing. One guy, acting the muppet, gets down on the ground laughing. One of the girls walk over, kneel down beside her. And starts screaming. Whailing. Somethings wrong. The girls not moving. There's blood coming from her lip/nose. I ring the ambulance. I tell them I'm at the Merlin Park bus stop (admitted, I should have given more details, but I was kinda freaked out at that point.)

I hear the ambulance coming. It drives down the road near where the Pucan and the old City Link bus stop is (fairgreen park, maybe?). Drives around the bottom of Eyre Square and vanishes. Eventually after a while it comes back around by Fibbers and to the Merlin Park stop. Now. My question is this: with the way Eyre Square is make it harder for ambulances to navigate through? Since it cant cut up through the Skeff side (not now anyways, since its blocked off). Now, I'm not saying anything about the ambulance service, they did get there as quick as they could. But the point remains.

thesteve

I haven't been in Galway in a while so I can't comment on the state of eyre square but... it's an ambulance, throw on the lights and sirens and drive where ever the hell you want...

Fobia

Unfortunately, afaik ambulances still have to abide by all the rules of the road, even speed limits. Can anyone confirm?

Yeah, eyre square would make it harder, but the paramedics should have jumped out when they were close and waited for the ambulance or something? You can still navigate eyre square easily on foot...

cardoor

I can confirm that Ambulances have to obey all traffic laws except speed...........but they are not excempt if involved in an accident,
E.g. if an ambulance is doing 130kmp; they won't get a speeding ticket...if they go through a RED light with Blues and Twos and hit a car going through a Green light; the Ambulance Driver is done for Careless Driving and can loose their license. Same goes for Fire Brigade or Gardaí.

The fact is I am 31 years in Galway City and don't know where the Merlin Pk. Bus Stop is today. It use to be the last one on the left heading for Prospect Hill????????? Galwegins should recall the time the Fire Brigade not been able to get to Fibbers when it went on Fire.

Another thing; the WHB (not sure what its called now; Western Health Execitive) have out sourced a lot of their Ambulance Service to Private Companies; hence don't have local knowledge. Ask your local politician for more information.

Deleted User; you should write to the Galway Advertiser; as long as these events go unnoticed they will keep happening.

Trx

How does the story end.... Did the yank survive ????? Probably would have been quicker to throw her on the merlin park bus and drop her at the hospital !!!!!

Mollie Breathna

cardoor wrote:

Another thing; the WHB (not sure what its called now; Western Health Execitive) have out sourced a lot of their Ambulance Service to Private Companies; hence don't have local knowledge..

Not strictly true.
Some ambulance services - long haul, delivery of patients home etc - are outsourced but emergency ambulances (999 calls) are local HSE staff.

Wouldn't know myself which one was the Merlin Park stop - I'd've ended up out on the Dublin Road

Trx

Trx wrote:

How does the story end.... Did the yank survive ????? Probably would have been quicker to throw her on the merlin park bus and drop her at the hospital !!!!!

I don't know how it ended. A few minutes before the ambulance came she was moving. Other people had arrived at this point and managed to get her (sorta) sitting up, with her head resting on one of my bags (there was nothing in it, bar a book, and helped her out somewhat). She could have just fainted. But what seemed odd to me is it didnt seem like she had fallen with enough force to cut her lip/face. I presume she recovered.

As for writing into the advertiser, I would be afraid that it would not be what the children concerned would have wanted. I don't want to put anyone into any sort of position where they can be .. well .. ****ed (excuse the swearing). Just in case drugs or anything were, in fact, associated.

I should probably have given them more details, as in my panicked state at the time, I thought that "Merlin bus stop in Eyre Square" would do. I even said it to the ambulance driver that perhaps I should have given better directions, but he said it was grand.

I know it sounds selfish, but I was more worried about her getting up and leaving. As it would have been extremely hard to explain to the ambulance driver that they were here, yes, but had left .. honest. I was worried that had something serious happened to them, I would be held accountable as I was the one who called 999.

Thankfully I had told them that it was the Merlin Park bus stop in Eyre Square.

timeout

It drives down the road near where the Pucan and the old City Link bus stop is (fairgreen park, maybe?). Drives around the bottom of Eyre Square and vanishes. Eventually after a while it comes back around by Fibbers and to the Merlin Park stop.

Well by the sounds of it they missed the turn the first time as they came up by Fibbers the second time as you stated. Due to the current layout, one way system, they had to go down by the docks and back in again by the fairgreen. Its a bitch but eventually people will not come in around the square as much reducing the traffic.