THE family of a Wrexham man who died after waiting four hours for an ambulance after being hit by a car, have slammed the 'shocking' ambulance delays.

In March 2022, George Ian Stevenson, 86, was knocked over by a “glancing” blow from a car in Johnstown. 

Mr Stevenson lay for hours on a cold and wet road waiting for an ambulance to arrive. Tragically, he died after going into cardiac arrest.

Earlier this year, 42-year-old Dale Hilton, of Heol Kenyon in Johnstown, was found guilty after a trial of causing the death of Mr Stevenson.

The defendant was almost five times the legal limit for the drug benzoylecgonine (a cocaine breakdown product referred to as BZE.)

Following the trial, the family of Mr Stevenson requested an enquiry from the Welsh Ambulance Service (WAST) as to why there was such a delay in response following the collision. 

George Ian Stevenson.George Ian Stevenson.

In turn, WAST concluded that there had been a "missed opportunity" on the night of Mr Stevenson's death and that an ambulance that should of been sent to the RTC in Johnstown, was sent elsewhere. 

This led to an additional 73 minute delay in an ambulance getting to the scene on the High Street in Johnstown. 

However they added that despite the delay it was 'not likely' to have made the outcome any different, much to the disappointment of Mr Stevenson's granddaughter, Ellie Williams. 

She said: "WAST came back to us after a long while before providing their conclusion. They said they'd found an error and admitted making an error which happened in their control room. 

"An ambulance was wrongly sent elsewhere, which led to a 73 minute delay. WAST examined all the reports and concluded that had an ambulance arrived 73 minutes earlier, the outcome was not likely to be any different. 

"They have apologised for the error in delay, but that's it. We're very, very disappointed with their response.

"Obviously it's difficult as it can't be said he was definitely going to die, but as long as we've got something to hold onto, we'll do that."

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More than two years on, Ms Williams revealed that her family is still coming to terms with the passing of Mr Stevenson.

She added: "My gran hasn't been the same since. The person has been jailed, but that hasn't brought my grandad back. It's been so difficult. 

"I know it's touched a lot of people locally, with all the support that happened on the night. People were bringing out blankets and other items to help. 

"But to see someone spend their final hours like that it's heartbreaking and as a family, we're heartbroken, we really are."

Following Mr Stevenson's death, Ellie launched a petition in a bid to put a halt to similar situations. 

The petition has gained almost 265,000 signatures, but Ellie said she felt nothing had changed and if anything, things had got "worse". 

She added: "The petition is still flying, it's got over 250k signatures. that shows how many people are affected, but nothing is changing.

"You're hearing about it all the time, about the waits that people are facing, how many other families have had issues like this? It's shocking. 

"Nothing has got better since the incident. We're not getting provided the care we should be. Just look at the delays outside the Maelor Hospital, people are waiting for hours. 

"I'm not attacking paramedics or NHS staff at all. I actually feel sorry for them, they're going to do their job, but they're unable to do it properly because there's no funding, staff or support. 

"How difficult is it for them, knowing they can help and make a difference because of all the work and training they've done, but they can't do anything because they're waiting outside the hospital."

Liam Williams, Executive Director of Quality and Nursing at the Welsh Ambulance Service, said: “Our deepest sympathies remain with Mr Stevenson’s loved ones through what has been, and continues to be, a difficult time.

"We are working hard with health board colleagues and the Welsh Government in relation to ambulance waiting times as we know we need to improve the experience for people across Wales.

“We have completed a thorough investigation into the circumstances, and we remain available to Mr Stevenson’s family to share our findings and the learning we have taken from this experience.

“I would once again like to extend condolences on behalf of the Trust to Mr Stevenson's family."