York ambulance death crash ‘was caused by patient’

A MAN who died after crashing a stolen ambulance into a packed bus was a patient who was being transported, it has been claimed.
Debris at the scene of the collisionDebris at the scene of the collision
Debris at the scene of the collision

According to sources the driver, named locally as keen cricketer Michael South, was in the back of the private ambulance before an unspecified incident allowed him to get the keys and drive away along the A64.

He was killed after ploughing the ambulance into the double-decker Coastliner bus, in a collision which injured both the bus driver and multiple passengers.

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Since the tragedy on the A64 near Flaxton on Friday evening, North Yorkshire Police have not disclosed where the ambulance was stolen from or the victim’s details.

Today it was claimed locally that Mr South, a builder from the York area, was actually a patient inside the ambulance, who took before the keys, leaving two paramedics stranded.

The ambulance was reported stolen 20 minutes before the crash, which happened in Flaxton, close to Coastliner’s depot.

Two paramedics were spotted trying to “flag down” police after the ambulance was stolen.

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One paramedic source said: “The whole situation is baffling.

“If there were issues with the patient, especially if there are any mental health issues, there should always be two people working on an ambulance, the driver and the attending paramedic in the back with the patient.

“If anything ever kicks off, protocol is to pull over and driver goes in the back to deal with the patient along with his colleague.

“If there is any suspicion the patient would be violent, the police are always on scene first and can travel with the crew.”

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The crash happened just before 8.30pm on April 10, and also involved a third vehicle which was a car.

One of the first people near the crash site was Rachel Grant, from Scarborough, who arrived as she drove home just minutes after the

crash.

She said that the site was swamped by police vehicles and officers, adding: “It was rather scary when you don’t know much and have kids in the car.

“No one told us anything, they shut the road about a quarter of a mile behind and we all left the scene.”

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Other people near the crash site claimed that police told them not to go anywhere near the wreckage.

North Yorkshire Police have now launched an investigation into the circumstances behind the crash, which closed the road for several hours.

The force said officers were “actively” searching for the stolen ambulance when it crashed.

A spokesperson for Yorkshire Ambulance Service said: “The incident involved a private ambulance, which did not belong to Yorkshire Ambulance Service, a bus and a car.

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“We conveyed five patients to hospital, including one to Leeds General Infirmary, three to York District Hospital and one to Scarborough Hospital.

“There were further patients with minor injuries who were treated on scene.”