By James Hore
East Anglian Daily Times
Copyright © 2007 Archant Regional Ltd. All rights reserved.
ESSEX, U.K. — A paramedic called to a serious crash on a busy Essex road has described how inconsiderate drivers risked causing another accident by using the hard shoulder to “squeeze past” the scene.
John Robinson, a rapid response paramedic for the East of England Ambulance Service was attending a crash on the London-bound A12.
Six people had to be checked over following the accident close to Hatfield Peverel on Friday morning, although luckily no-one had to go to hospital.
But Mr Robinson said he was worried about the number of motorists not prepared to wait for the scene to be cleared before continuing.
It was the latest incident in a matter of weeks in Essex where drivers have showed a lack of patience at the scene of an accident.
Last month Essex Police reported how they had been abused by drivers as they dealt with a fatal crash which led to the death of a teenager in the Maldon area.
Mr Robinson described how drivers used the hard shoulder to get past the accident, putting themselves and others at risk of causing problems and even another accident.
He said: “The accident occurred in lane-two of the A12, so drivers were using the hard shoulder as another lane.
“However, this caused problems for the emergency services there, especially as large vehicles were literally squeezing past the scene.
“When you are attending to patients and, for example, having to get people out of vehicles to fully assess them, the first thing we have to consider is their safety and ours.
“I urge motorists to think carefully when approaching the scene of an accident, and to consider their safety and that of others when attempting to continue their journey.”
Police have appealed for witnesses to contact them with details about the collision.
Anyone with information about the accident should contact Chelmsford road policing unit on 01245 240600.