Baby saved by recovery truck crew

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/england/staffordshire/6212661.stm

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Paramedics arrived to treat a sick toddler in a recovery truck trailing their broken-down ambulance behind it.

Gemma Noakes, 25, from Heath Hayes, near Cannock, Staffordshire, dialled 999 when her 18-month-old son Harvey began having trouble breathing.

Within a minute a breakdown truck with the ambulance on the back had arrived.

The ambulance crew had heard the emergency call-out on their radio and realised they were the closest available paramedics.

The crew began treating Harvey before a second ambulance arrived minutes later.

It is an unusual way to get to an incident, but the main thing is that we got there quickly to help Ambulance mechanic Martin Corley

Harvey, who was born with a hole in his heart and chronic lung disease, had turned blue and begun vomiting.

The second ambulance took the toddler to Staffordshire General Hospital where he was checked over and later discharged.

Ms Noakes said: "I was so surprised when I saw them in the street, and also very panicked as I was wondering how they would be able to get Harvey to hospital on the back of such a big vehicle."

Ambulance mechanic Martin Corley, who drove the recovery vehicle, said: "I had gone out to recover the broken-down ambulance and its crew when we heard through the radio that a baby was seriously ill about 500 metres away.

"Even though we knew another ambulance had been called, we were the nearest and could get there the quickest.

"It is an unusual way to get to an incident, but the main thing is that we got there quickly to help."

Ms Noakes added: "I would like to thank them. The recovery driver was very quick-thinking to get the paramedics to us so fast in such an unusual way."