Couple waited two hours for ambulance after horrific M25 car crash

Accident: Christine Horne and Luke Mayes
Luke Mayes
Rachel Blundy8 October 2015

A couple have told of their frustration over being forced to wait two hours for an ambulance after they were seriously injured in a horrific car crash on the M25.

Luke Mayes, 31, and girlfriend Christine Horne, 25, were left fearing for their lives after an HGV hit their Ford Fiesta near Waltham Cross.

The couple, who live in Benfleet, Essex, were travelling with Christine's 17-year-old cousin Meaghan to a Hunter Hayes gig at the Shepherd's Bush Empire when the accident happened.

The lorry pushed their car into the wall of the Holmesdale Tunnel close to junction 25 after clipping the car’s back passenger wheel.

Ms Horne, a special needs teacher, today told how she feared for her life as the lorry careered towards them and Mr Mayes, who was driving, frantically tried to maintain control of the car.

She said: "When we first collided with the lorry, I said 'Oh my god, we are going to die'. When we were on the side of the lorry, I actually did not think we were going to come out of it. We somehow managed to cross to the lane and not hit any other cars. Someone was obviously looking out for us.

She continued: "When it happened, I went into organisation mode and called the police because Luke was out of it.

Crash: the couple's mangled car in the Holmesdale Tunnel
Luke Mayes

"We have never had anything like this happen before. Luke was distraught. I have not got in a car since. My cousin is very shaken up."

The couple, who have been together for four years, had to be cut out of their car by fire crews before waiting two hours for an ambulance to take them to hospital.

Despite suffering neck and back injuries in the crash, they were told the first ambulance on the scene was unable to take them to the relevant hospital for their injuries and that a staff shortage meant they would have to wait until another ambulance was free.

Mr Mayes, an accountant, who has since been signed off work while he recovers, said: “At the time I was in shock, I was shaking quite badly. The longer I waited, the worse it got.

“We should not have had to wait for that long. It is just unacceptable. The treatment after that was faultless. It is just a shame that it took that long to be seen. We should’ve waited 30 minutes maximum.”

Ms Horne, who was later told she should have been immobilised while she waited for the ambulance in order to protect her spine, said: “There could have been a lot more damage than there was. Waiting on a motorway like that can be very scary.”

A spokesman for the East of England Ambulance Service today apologised for the delay on the evening of September 30, saying it was due to a shortage of paramedics.

In a statement, he said: "Our apologies to the patients for this delay. We received a call at 6.17pm on 30th September to a report of a collision on the M25 near Waltham Cross, which was coded as a (Green 2) serious, but not life-threatening call, with a target of responding in 30 minutes.

"A paramedic in a rapid response vehicle attended 36 minutes after we received the call and the first ambulance crew was on scene one hour and 49 minutes after receiving the 999 call and second ambulance one hour and 57minutes after the initial call.

"Two patients with neck and back pain were taken to North Middlesex Hospital for further treatment.

"The East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust is looking to improve responses to patients by recruiting hundreds of student paramedics this year and we are looking for candidates in Hertfordshire."

The lorry driver has not been arrested over the crash, Scotland Yard said.

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