Belfast Telegraph
BELFAST, UK — An ambulance driver is awaiting results of tests after blood was spat in his eye as he was attending an emergency call in the city.
Neil Duncan, from Londonderry, said that he was left shocked by the incident in Argyle Street at around 2am on Thursday.
Following the attack, Mr Duncan was taken to Altnagelvin hospital where he had his eye frozen and washed out, leaving the city with just one emergency call out ambulance for over three hours.
The brave paramedic said that it was the first time he had encountered such verbal or physical abuse on a call out.
“We were called to an incident on Argyle Street and met three men at the scene.
“It was pretty clear that they were under the influence of something.
“They were waiting on a taxi and the injured man, who had blood on his face, asked if the other two could get in the ambulance with him.
“When we refused he became verbally and physically abusive towards us. The taxi arrived at the scene and I think that the injured party thought that it was the police. He approached me and spat blood in my face.
“I came to work here from Bangor and I’ve worked in Omagh before, but this is the first time I have been attacked like this.
“Young people become a bit of an unknown quantity when under the influence of drugs.”
When there is a blood incident like this, without a medical history of the person involved, there is a possibility of the victim catching a virus such as |hepatitis or HIV
The incident had the potential to put others in danger, as his ambulance was stood down after the incident.
“When there is a blood incident like this, without a medical history of the person involved, there is a possibility of the victim catching a virus such as hepatitis or HIV,” he said.
“I was taken to have my eye tested and our ambulance was stood down for a period.
“There are two ambulances on call in the city, one in the waterside and one in the city side.
“This left us with one ambulance on call, from 3am right through the morning.
“You try to prepare yourself for incidents like this, but when it comes it comes as a bit of a shock.”
Local station officer Sammy Hamill said that attacks on emergency personnel puts others at extreme risk.
“This sort of behaviour raises its ugly head from time to time,” he said. “We regularly hear of hospital staff being targeted and earlier this month firemen came under attack in the city.
“In relation to ambulance cover, an attack like this could potentially have a serious impact on someone who needs emergency care, as the victim has to come off duty for a period of time.
“Luckily, this didn’t happen after the latest incident, but it’s unfortunate that people stretch our resources in this way.
“On another night it could have been different,” the local ambulance officer explained.