'Just panicking': Parking lot traffic delays ambulance's arrival at Dartmouth ER

A Dartmouth, N.S., woman is furious after an ambulance carrying her grandmother in the midst of a medical crisis was stalled arriving to the Dartmouth General Hospital on Thursday because it couldn't get into its parking lot.

Rachael MacCorquodale was in a vehicle following the ambulance when they arrived on the property and was stunned by what she saw.

Ahead, a lineup of cars was blocking the driveway that enters the hospital.

"I was just panicking and thinking this could be ... a life-or-death situation," she said. "You don't know what's going on."

The entrance to the hospital off Acadia Street has one lane, which is shared between vehicles and ambulances. Vehicles heading to the parking lot turn left once inside the entrance, while ambulances veer off to the right and go to the emergency room.

But at 11:30 on Thursday morning, the machine that issues tickets to the lot jammed and the gate wouldn't lift. The delay caused a lineup of 12 vehicles, according to the Nova Scotia Health Authority.

The backup blocked the ambulance from entering the property and getting to the emergency room.

"Unfortunately, the EMT actually had to whoop their siren and then physically get out of the vehicle, which is very dangerous for them, to go and ask the cars to please move over," MacCorquodale said.

She estimated they waited seven minutes for the vehicles to finally move.

'It could actually result in somebody passing away'

MacCorquodale is still waiting to hear if her 82-year-old grandmother had a heart attack or a stroke, but she said in either case, the minutes counted.

"Unfortunately, these people didn't move and if this continues to happen, more people could be put in that position and it could actually result in somebody passing away," she said.

No one from the Nova Scotia Health Authority was available for an interview on Friday, but it submitted a statement.

"We acknowledge how stressful even a small delay would be for a worried family member and sincerely apologize for the distress it caused," it said.

The parking lot at Dartmouth General is currently under construction as part of redesigning the entrance. The health authority admits that work played a role in the delay.

"At present, there is a portion of entrance that is shared with arriving ambulances," said the statement.

"Normally, EHS can navigate traffic in this area without issue, but we understand this was not the case on Thursday for a short period of time."

The health authority is calling on drivers to be aware when they are entering the parking lot. MacCorquodale agrees with that message.

"People are not paying attention to emergency vehicles," she said.

Officials to tow vehicles restricting access

Once the redesign is done, ambulances won't be sharing the same entrance as general visitors.

Instead, they'll have a shorter, direct route to the hospital.

For now, the health authority said vehicles found idling or parked in front of the main entrance will be subject to towing.

"We encourage patients and visitors to travel new routes slowly and yield to on-site traffic control and emergency vehicles," said the statement.