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Pregnant Va. woman in car crash waits 1 hour for ambulance to arrive

A 9-month pregnant woman waited more than an hour for a Richmond Ambulance Authority to arrive after a driver ran a red light and crashed into her vehicle

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Latanya Thornton was crossing an intersection when a driver ran a red light and crashed into her vehicle. Members of the Richmond Fire Department responded to the scene, but Thornton said she waited more than an hour for an ambulance.

Photo/RAA

By Rachel Engel

RICHMOND, Va. — A pregnant woman who was involved in a car crash on Saturday waited an hour for an ambulance.

Latanya Thornton was crossing an intersection when a driver ran a red light and crashed into her vehicle. Her 1-year-old and 5-year-old were also in the car.

Members of the Richmond Fire Department responded to the scene, but Thornton said she waited more than an hour for an ambulance.

“Everything was hurting,” she said in an interview with 10 WAVY.

A woman who witnessed the crash and came to Thornton’s aid began live-streaming on Facebook while waiting with her for the ambulance.

Thornton’s due date was July 4, but she gave birth to a healthy baby girl on Tuesday, June 15, after doctors told her that her amniotic fluid level was low and the baby needed to be delivered.

According to Thornton, her doctors had said everything had looked normal at her last appointment, two days prior to the crash. It’s unclear if the incident is connected to the change in the birth.

Mark Tenia with the RAA said all ambulances were out on other calls at the time of the crash.

“We are well aware of the information,” he told 10 WAVY.

A spokesperson from the mayor’s office also released a statement on the incident.

“This should not have happened,” the statement read. “We’re very concerned whenever a person in need of medical transport to the hospital does not receive it in a timely fashion. We’re thankful our fire and police departments were on the scene within minutes to render first aid and medical assistance until RAA arrived. Our first responding agencies will be meeting with RAA to determine what happened in this situation.”

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