Pregnant wife directs ambulance to hospital as husband suffers fatal cardiac arrest

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An inquest at Darlington Coroner's Court heard the harrowing tale of a pregnant wife who was forced to navigate an ambulance to the hospital as her husband underwent a cardiac arrest – with the crew lost en route. Samantha Morris, pregnant with twins, rushed to be with her husband Aaron Morris, 31, after he had spent a night in hospital and she discovered him post-motorbike crash with a car in Esh Winning, County Durham.

The tragedy of Aaron Morris unfolded within the corridors of justice at the coroner's court in County Durham. Despite being conscious and breathing after the incident, the emergency response by Ambulanz, an external ambulance service, suffered critical delays.

It shockingly took 54 minutes for the ambulance to reach the scene even after multiple urgent calls were placed including one from a nurse practitioner friend of Samantha's.

Aaron tragically passed away shortly after arriving at the University Hospital of North Durham, as reported by Chronicle Live. A heartbroken Samantha told the court, "I was there to hold Aaron's hand as his heart took its last beat."

The inquest delves into the poignant loss and the deep-seated issues plaguing emergency medical responses, reports the Mirror.

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Samantha disclosed that the paramedic had inquired about the nearest trauma centre and was en route to Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) when Aaron suffered a cardiac arrest near Leadgate roundabout, prompting her to direct the driver to the closest hospital instead. She expressed her distress, stating: "I was 13 weeks pregnant and my husband was having CPR in the back of the ambulance. Why should I make the decision on what hospital my husband should be taken to? I have to live with the fact that if I said the RVI he might still be alive to this day. She added: "[The driver] made the right decision to ask.

I don't fault him for that. My fault in that is the people who manage and train him should have given him the tools to know where the nearest hospital is.

He made the right decision that day by using what he had, which was me who lives in the local area. "Aaron's inquest initially commenced in May but was postponed after the coroner named the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) as an interested party.

Two police officers from Durham Constabulary who attended the collision site testified, including DC Rebecca Shaw, who told the hearing that she was the first officer on the scene, having been redirected around the collision by passersby while off-duty and driving in the area. DC Shaw told the inquest that she stopped her car after seeing a body surrounded by a group of people on the road.

She then made several emergency calls from her mobile, which was later given to an off-duty nurse named Helen. The inquest continues.

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