Frantic wife’s three calls to triple-0 after husband’s near-death fall through window

An investigation is underway after a frantic wife claims emergency services failed her family, leaving her husband bleeding excessively after he tripped over a common piece of baby equipment. | VIDEO

A seriously injured father had to be bailed into the back of a ute and rushed to hospital by his neighbour in a desperate to bid to save his life after he tripped over a common piece of baby equipment.

The man’s frantic wife has told of how emergency service phone operators left her husband bleeding excessively on their loungeroom floor after he tripped over a baby bouncer and fell through a glass window.

Alexandra Hills painter Elliott Shaw, 30, was lucky to be alive after severing his left hand, two arteries, 11 tendons and two nerves after the fall.

Despite three desperate phone calls to the Queensland Ambulance service, it was up to a neighbour, a former paramedic of 35 years, to help stop Mr Shaw’s bleeding and load him into his Ute to drive him to Redland Hospital.

Wife Sarah Shaw made the first call to triple-0 at 7.23pm while running next door.

Elliott Shaw severed two arteries after falling through a window but no ambulance arrived and his wife and neighbour drove him to hospital, where he was given litres of emergency blood. Pictures: Contributed

The neighbour, who does not want to be named, used two of Mrs Shaw's belts and a phone charger cord to stop the bleeding while Mrs Shaw applied pressure to her husband’s arms.

But after nearly 20 minutes had elapsed and there had been no ambulance, the pair decided to drive Mr Shaw to hospital in the neighbour’s ute as the couple’s car had children seats in the back.

Five-month-old baby Laura and three-year-old Hannah stayed with neighbours during the dash to hospital to save their dad’s life.

“It is a five-minute drive but seemed like it took hours as I was holding Elliott’s arm to stop the blood,” Mrs Shaw said.

“When we got to the hospital we had the entire Emergency Department rallying around us to help.

“I just heard one of the doctors call for an artery clamp and I knew it was not good.

“We had waited and waited after I first called triple-0 and then I called back 10 minutes later and my neighbour explained he was a retired paramedic of 35 years and told the operator it was a ‘code 1’ and my husband was in danger of bleeding out.

“The operator took that as abuse and ended up hanging up.”

Elliott Shaw before severing his arm, with his two daughters Laura and Hannah. Picture: Contributed

Mr Shaw was given emergency blood at Redland Hospital before being stabilised and taken to Princess Alexandra Hospital where he underwent emergency surgery at 11.30pm.

Queensland Ambulance Service investigated the couple’s ordeal and on Monday, Queensland Ambulance Service district director Nathan Gemmell and QAS director of operations Matt Salter visited the couple at home.

A Queensland Ambulance Service spokesman said an ambulance was dispatched and it proceeded with lights and sirens to the scene.

“Upon arrival, the crew were informed the patient had been transported to hospital by private means,” the spokesman said.

“The QAS apologises to the patient and his family for the delay they experienced.

“In this case, the patient chose to privately transport to hospital prior to QAS arrival.

“The QAS uses well-established systems to support its planning, management and deployment of resources to ensure our most critical patients are seen first.

“The QAS was experiencing pressure across southeast Queensland (on the night),” the spokesman said.

Elliott Shaw was taken by car to Redland Hospital before emergency surgery at PA Hospital. Picture: Contributed

The couple was told that the ambulance service had reviewed all conversations and apologised for the course of events telling them further training was being provided to phone operators.

The couple was also told there had been no ambulance available until 25 minutes after Mrs Shaw’s initial call.

Mrs Shaw said neighbours reported an ambulance had arrived in their street that night after the couple had already driven to the hospital.

Health Minister Shannon Fentiman and Metro South Health also apologised to the family and said the bayside area was also getting three new mental health co-responder teams.

“I offer my sincere apology to the family, I cannot begin to imagine the distress this incident would have caused,” Ms Fentiman said.

“I want to thank the neighbour, a retired paramedic, for offering incredible care.

“I also want to thank the hardworking healthcare workers at the local hospitals for tending to this patient and providing him with the exceptional care to ensure he would make a full recovery.

Sarah and Elliott Shaw.

“Our paramedics do a great job every day caring for Queenslanders, but in this case, it was absolutely not good enough.

“I am advised an investigation is underway and I will ensure that all recommendations are implemented.”

A Metro South Health spokesperson said all measures were taken by emergency medical and nursing staff to provide immediate emergency care to the patient on his arrival at Redland Hospital.

Mrs Shaw will join LNP candidate for Redland Rebecca Young to take her complaint about the lack of ambulances to state parliament on Wednesday.

“This is not about the people or paramedics, it is about wanting to support and have our frontline staff adequately resourced,” Ms Young said.

“Redland Hospital has one of the worst ambulance ramping statistics in the state, recorded at 68 per cent in August.

“The government has not put one overnight bed into Redland Hospital and, since 2021, we actually have seven less which means the hospital can’t move people out of emergency into wards, which in turn means that ambulances are ramped up outside.

“While ambulances are ramped at the hospital they cannot attend to emergency call-outs.”

Mr Shaw is recovering at home.

Originally published as Frantic wife’s three calls to triple-0 after husband’s near-death fall through window