A 95-year-old British woman with a broken hip lay on the sidewalk for 5 hours (3 photos)

A 95-year-old woman left in freezing temperatures with a broken hip told bystanders: "I'm going to die here." Ambulance workers told her she was not on the priority list.





Winifred Soanes fell on November 25 at 2.30pm on Christchurch High Street, Dorset, while walking with her 92-year-old husband Andrew.

Passers-by repeatedly called the ambulance service, but each time the operator said other calls were prioritised.



The townspeople brought the grandmother sleeping bags, blankets and pillows, and bottles of hot water.

Andrew, a military veteran, refused to leave his wife. The man suffers from diabetes, so caring residents brought him drinks and food.

Eventually, at 7.45 p.m., an ambulance arrived and took Winifred to the hospital, where she remains under observation.

Andrew fell ill due to prolonged exposure to the cold and is unable to visit his wife.

An ambulance spokesman said: "We regret that we were unable to treat the patient in a timely manner. It is unacceptable for the quality of service to be below the high standard. To ensure our ambulances are ready for the next call, we must be able to get patients to departments within 15 minutes, which is the national target. We continue to work hard to do everything we can to improve the patient experience."



Jennifer Baylis, a store worker, said: "I can't tell you how painful it was to see that. She told us, 'I'm going to die here tonight.' Winifred was in excruciating pain and lying on the cold ground. She collapsed at 2.30pm and the ambulance didn't arrive until 7.45pm. We were so upset that we had to wait five hours for the ambulance or the police to arrive. I felt so helpless and so angry that they had to go through that. It's unacceptable in this day and age. We know what a burden medics have. But something has gone seriously wrong for a 95-year-old woman to be left in pavement on the main street."

David Lovell, who saw Soanes fall and was the first to call for help, added: "It was freezing cold and it got colder as it got dark. She was lying on the frozen pavement and we couldn't move her because she was in so much pain."

Andrew said: "It was a terrible situation but it was nice to see people helping out."