‘Angry’: Ballarat mum loses leg after ambulance fails to arrive for four hours

“The doctor did say if the ambulance was a little bit earlier, we may have been able to save your leg,” Marianne explained. 

It was five in the morning when Ballarat mum, Marianne, woke up to a strange feeling in her leg.

She had to use the toilet, but as she sat in bed, she realised she had no control over her right leg. 

Pins and needles were shooting up and down her leg and into her foot, but she tried to stand anyway. 

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Marianne's husband called triple zero after her right leg started having severe pins and needles. Source: 7News

Mum called triple zero five times before an ambulance arrived

Attempting to lift herself out of bed, the 53-year-old’s body buckled underneath and she fell to the floor. 

Crawling to the bathroom, she could no longer feel anything in her right foot, prompting her husband to wake and call an ambulance.

The operator confirmed an ambulance would be there as soon as possible, which gave the Ballarat mum-of-two a slight sense of relief. 

“So we left it at that ... and I made myself comfortable,” she told 7News. 

But the minutes ticked by, and no one was there. Marianne’s condition was worsening, and began feeling sharp and extremely painful sensations in her leg. 

A rash then started to develop on her skin, and the pins and needles she began feeling were now “out of hand.” 

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Marianna called an ambulance five times. Source: 7News

“How long does it take to get an ambulance?”

It had been hours since Marianne’s husband called for help, and there was still no sign of an ambulance arriving. 

“As two hours passed, I was getting more and more worried,” her son said. 

She had made another four calls to triple zero and was reassured by operators that someone was coming. 

“How long does it take to get an ambulance?” the Ballarat mum asked before adding, ‘If I’m saying I’m in pain, just get one.” 

Four hours after her initial call an ambulance arrived at their Ballarat home and made the desperate dash to hospital. 

Marianna arrived at the hospital at roughly 9am, where doctors informed her she had a blood clot in her foot, which had travelled up her right leg. 

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Doctors told Marianne it was too late for her leg, which had to be amputated. Source: 7News

An internal investigation is underway

Unfortunately, the emergency services arrived too late; her foot was dead and her leg needed to be amputated. 

“I didn’t have a lot of time to think ... it was like a real quick decision,” said Marianne of her amputation. “It [was] pretty much me or my leg. I was in a bit of shock, so was my partner.” 

If the ambulance had arrived any later, it’s possible the outcome may have been fatal. 

“[The doctor] did sort of say maybe if it was a little bit earlier, we may have been able to save your leg,” she recalled to 7News. 

In the two weeks since the dreadful incident, Ambulance Victoria confirmed it would be conducting an internal investigation. A representative made a visit to Marianne’s home, where they apologised for making her wait for four hours. 

But Marianne is “very angry” and still coming to terms that she has lost her leg as a result. 

“I’m angry that [we] had to ring five times before somebody came,” she said. “That should not happen.” 

Originally published as ‘Angry’: Ballarat mum loses leg after ambulance fails to arrive for four hours