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The 061 air ambulance helicopter that went up in flames at Cabra. ABC
Elderly heart attack patient severely injured in air ambulance blaze this summer dies
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Elderly heart attack patient severely injured in air ambulance blaze this summer dies

The deceased, aged 75, suffered severe burns to 40 per cent of his body: the pilot, co-pilot and two medics were also injured in the incident

Davinia Delgado

Cordoba

Friday, 4 October 2024, 14:05

The 75-year-old patient who was seriously injured in August after the 061 air ambulance in which he was to be transferred from the football pitch in Cabra exploded and caught fire died on Tuesday as a result of burns to 40 per cent of his body. The pilot and co-pilot of the aircraft, as well as a doctor and a nurse that were on board were also burned in the accident.

The Defensor del Paciente association has announced that it will file a complaint against the Servicio Andaluz de Salud (SAS) health authority for the incident, claiming compensation for the relatives of the victim, who lost his life "after three months of suffering". This is according to the group's lawyer, the health law specialist Damián Vázquez, who said that the patient was admitted to the Hospital Virgen del Rocío in Seville "with third degree burns to the lower limbs; second degree burns to the chest, back and arm; while his left leg had to be amputated".

Vázquez has provided the details of preliminary investigation carried out by the civil aviation authority and he claims that "the causal link between the fire in the helicopter where the patient was, and the serious injuries and burns suffered [and subsequent death] is clear, so the responsibility of the health administration is equally clear".

The incident happened on 10 August at around 8pm. The patient, who was taken to the Infanta Margarita Hospital after suffering severe chest pain was to be transferred by helicopter to the Reina Sofia Hospital in Cordoba to undergo a cardiac catheterisation. "The family was informed it was decided to carry out this transfer by air as there was no mobile ICU ambulance with the necessary equipment to do it by road," the lawyer said.

The transfer was not carried out from the heliport that has been in use for many years in Cabra, which is located at the top of Calle Ben Mocadem. "This heliport apparently does not comply with the regulations and is therefore not legalised," the association of the patient's ombudsman said. It is for this reason that it took off from the temporary helipad at the football field of the María Dolores Jiménez Guardeño sports complex in the town of Egabrense.

"Strapped in and immobilised"

Once the pre-take off checks had been carried out by the pilot, and with the co-pilot still outside the helicopter, "a fire broke out in the cockpit, while the patient was on a stretcher inside with the doctor and nurse", the association said.

When the fire started, everyone got out of the aircraft, leaving "the patient strapped to the stretcher and unable to move". The co-pilot came to the man's aid, but suffered burns to one of his arms from a surprise explosion, making it impossible for him to remove the patient. In the end, when "part of the straps that were holding him in place were burned", the responders managed to rescue the man.

"After about ten to 15 minutes, a mobile ICU ambulance arrived at the sports centre, which is confusing, since this means of transport was supposedly not available," said the group. The patient, after being stabilised, was transferred to the Reina Sofia Hospital, where the relatives were told "that his heart was fine, and that they had not found any anomaly, when that was the supposed cause of the transfer, and given the severity of the burns, the most appropriate thing to do was to schedule an emergency transfer to the Virgen del Rocio Hospital in Seville", where he finally died.

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surinenglish Elderly heart attack patient severely injured in air ambulance blaze this summer dies