By Paul Keaveny
The Bolton News
Copyright 2006 NewsQuest Media Group Limited
All Rights Reserved
Medical equipment was stolen from an ambulance while paramedics were dealing with a badly injured man who had been hit by a car.
Thieves sneaked into the back of the ambulance and took a variety of items, including stethoscopes and a blood pressure gauge.
At the time, paramedics were tending to a 46-year-old man who had been struck as he crossed Lever Street, Daubhill, by a silver Vauxhall Corsa driven by a 21-year-old.
The incident, just before 7pm on Sunday, happened close to the junction with Rigby Court.
The pedestrian was treated for serious head injuries at the Royal Bolton Hospital before being transferred to Preston Hospital, where his condition was last night described as critical.
Police are appealing for witnesses to the accident.
They would also like to hear from anybody who saw people acting suspiciously near the ambulance. A spokesman for the North-west Ambulance Service said: “A stethoscope and a blood pressure monitor were stolen while we were treating the victim of a serious road traffic accident.
“This was a very serious incident but in this instance patient care was not put at risk.
“However, this kind of criminal act could potentially put patients’ lives at risk.”