A motorcyclist was airlifted to a trauma unit at a Liverpool hospital after his bike was in a collision with an ambulance answering an emergency call.
The emergency services were called to the scene, near Glan yr Afon in North Wales, at 4.30pm on 8 May, blocking both lanes of the A494 between Bala and Corwen for several hours. The biker was airlifted to Aintree hospital, after the Welsh Ambulance Service (WAS) enlisted the help of the air ambulance service.
The ambulance was not carrying any patients at the time of the collision and none of its crew were hurt. The condition of the biker is currently unknown, North Wales Live reports.
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Jonathan Sweet, head of service at the WAS, said his thoughts were with the motorcyclist. He said: “At approximately 4.38pm, one of our emergency ambulances was involved in a collision on the A494 near Glan-yr-Afon while en route to a 999 call.
“We sent a rapid response vehicle and a second emergency ambulance to the scene. We were supported by a duty operations manager from the Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service, and an air ambulance from the North West Ambulance Service.
“Our crew was unharmed and no patients were on board the vehicle at the time of the collision. The motorcyclist was airlifted to Aintree Hospital in Liverpool and our thoughts are with the patient.”
Once the biker had been taken to hospital, the road remained closed well into the night as investigations continued. One local resident described the road as “extremely dangerous” and has lobbied politicians for improvements.
Tim Smith, a retired refrigeration engineer, said the A494 between the A5 and Bala has been the scene of multiple accidents over the years. He said: "Just on one little stretch of the road, there are two or three serious crashes each year."
“I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve had to help with vehicles that have left the road and ended up in my neighbour’s field. It is an extremely dangerous road and something needs to be done about it.”
