Paramedic in fatal crash had traumatic flashback

A paramedic was hallucinating after a traumatic call-out when he crashed into a car, an inquest heard.

Jason Allen, 49, and Andrew Ralph, 61, were killed after their car was hit by Kevin Lilwall's ambulance on the A49 in Pengethley, Herefordshire.

An inquest heard Mr Lilwall was having flashbacks to the previous day when he had been in the area responding to the sudden death of a baby.

The paramedic, who had worked for West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) for 28 years, was driving the ambulance when it crossed the white line into the car. The ambulance dashcam showed it heading directly towards Mr Allen’s car for six seconds before the collision.

The families of Mr Allen and Mr Ralph said they had been through hell in the past four years, adding they had never had an apology from Mr Lilwall and only one from WMAS after the inquest.

The hearing in Hereford was told Mr Lilwall had spent more than 25 hours on duty in the previous 36 hours, with just a 10-hour break between shifts.

Medical experts agreed that the hallucination could have been caused by post traumatic stress disorder.

Jason Wiles from WMAS admitted it had been a "missed opportunity" regarding the apology and said it had changed its policy to ensure staff had a break of at least 11 hours between shifts following the crash.

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Source: BBC News, 28 June 2023