Mackay man seriously injured in driveway hospital gurney bungle

Queensland Ambulance Service has expressed “regret” after a single paramedic was tasked to transport a man to hospital, ending in a driveway gurney bungle and pending lawsuit.

Queensland Ambulance Service has expressed “regret” after a single paramedic was dispatched to transport a man to hospital, resulting in a driveway gurney bungle and a pending lawsuit.

Mackay resident Clinton McLachlan suffered a serious shoulder injury after the hospital gurney he was strapped to fell over and slammed him onto his driveway.

Mr McLachlan, 44, was being treated for Covid-19 complications in July when the gurney toppled over and potentially left him off work for months.

Shine Lawyers, on behalf of Mr McLachlan, is set to launch legal action against the service, claiming it breached its duty of care.

It will be alleged the incident would have been avoided if there were two paramedics present, with the Opposition labelling it unacceptable.

Mr McLachlan said he held no ill will to the paramedic, but took aim at the service for its poor handling of his transport.

A Mackay man has suffered a serious shoulder injury after an ambulance gurney lost its balance resulting in a claim against QAS for sending only one paramedic.

Video obtained by The Courier-Mail showed the paramedic had attempted to raise the gurney when it toppled over, sending Mr McLachlan down with it.

While Mr McLachlan’s head was shielded from the fall, his shoulder slammed into the concrete with his weight behind him.
“It was a great impact and my shoulder is pretty stuffed,” Mr McLachlan said.

Mr McLachlan said it was ridiculous that a single paramedic had been tasked to transport him on a driveway too steep to park a manual car on with confidence.

“Put it this way, I wouldn’t park a manual car on it,” Mr McLachlan said.

“It’s ridiculous that the ambulance officer was put in that situation.

“The fall was imminent. It only takes common sense to know it wasn’t going to work. There needs to be procedures in place to make sure this never happens.”

Shine Lawyers Mackay’s Christine Smith said the video showed the paramedic should not have been performing the duties by himself.

Ms Smith said Mr McLachlan’s small business and his family’s financial security had been significantly impacted.

“Clinton’s made it clear he bears no ill will towards the paramedic himself, but this incident highlights the need for better resourcing and a more stringent system of work to ensure it doesn’t happen again,” Ms Smith said.

“We hope that by highlighting this incident we’re able to ensure proper safety practices are put in place to prevent this happening to another patient.”

A Mackay man has suffered a serious shoulder injury after an ambulance gurney lost its balance resulting in a claim against QAS for sending only one paramedic.

Mr McLachlan, a painter by trade, feared he will be unable to work properly for months of rehabilitation.

He said it could have killed a more senior patient.

“What if this was my grandparents? It could have been fatal,” Mr McLachlan said.

“It’s a three to six-month recovery time.

“And that’s probably the biggest fear at the moment. Not being able to do anything.”

A Queensland Ambulance Service spokeswoman said it “sincerely” regretted any distress or injury suffered by the man.

“Our thoughts and best wishes are with the patient and their family,” the spokeswoman said.

Opposition health spokeswoman Roz Bates said it was unacceptable to have a single paramedic response.

“Lives are being put at risk due to the state government’s failure to plan and resource the health system,” Ms Bates said.

“It is not acceptable that hardworking paramedics and health care workers are being exposed to dangerous situations, putting themselves and patients at risk.”