A young footballer who suffered a suspected spinal injury waited five hours in the rain for an ambulance to arrive. The incident happened on Saturday, October 15 at the ground of Caerau Ely FC in Cardiff during an Ardal Leagues South West fixture between the club and Cefn Cribwr FC, a side based in Bridgend.
It is understood that a Cefn Cribwr FC player was unable to leave the pitch following the injury and an ambulance was called at around 4.15pm. He was placed on a stretcher by medical staff, with his head and neck supported as they waited for paramedics to arrive.
However, an ambulance did not turn up until around 9.15pm, by which time it was dark and the player had been lying on the field for five hours - at times in the pouring rain and covered only by a make-shift shelter made of blankets, jackets and an umbrella. The Welsh Ambulance Service confirmed that the significant delay in reaching him was caused by their vehicles being stuck outside hospital emergency departments.
