Patient dies after woman blocked ambulance

A critically ill patient died after a neighbour deliberately blocked an ambulance taking him to hospital.

Malcolm Burdett, 62, was being wheeled out his home on a stretcher suffering from severe chest pains when his next-door neighbour parked in the way to pick up her dogs to take them for a walk.

Gillian Birdsall, 50, was yesterday convicted of deliberately obstructing the emergency vehicle, preventing paramedics from getting the father of two to hospital where he died hours later.

Bournemouth Magistrates fined her £500 after hearing that Birdsall was asked by paramedics to move her car blocking the shared driveway, but she only responded: 'Why, are they dead?'

After being asked twice by paramedics, Birdsall finally agreed to move.

The obstruction caused a ten-minute delay in the patient getting medication and being taken to Royal Bournemouth Hospital where he died an hour and a quarter later.

Birdsall, who lived next door to piano teacher Mr Burdett, later told police that she had been in a rush to take her dogs for a walk and said she was angry about people parking on her part of the shared driveway.

Read the full story at Mail Online

What a selfish and irresponsible thing to do.  The man was dying and all she cared about was walking her dogs and someone using her driveway.  I bet she feels bad that the man might have died because of the delay she caused.