Injured B.C. hockey player left on the ice for almost an hour due to ambulance delay

Another ambulance delay in B.C. left an injured hockey player lying on the ice for almost an hour.

During a BCHL game in Prince George on Saturday, 19-year-old Vernon Vipers centre Will Blackburn went head first into the boards.

He was kept immobilized on the ice as everyone waited for the paramedics to arrive.

However, it took 50 minutes for an ambulance to come and only after the Spruce Kings’ announcer went to the hospital himself to track down some paramedics.

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“What I’ve never seen is an ambulance take that long,” Ron Gallo, Spruce Kings announcer, told CKPG.

“I’ve seen a game delayed by about 15 minutes for the arrival of the ambulance and the removal of the player, but I’ve never seen it take more than 15-20 minutes.”

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Troy Clifford, president of BC Ambulance Paramedics and Dispatches, said right now they are down ambulances and paramedics in many areas around the province.

“A lot of communities that have two ambulances are down to one, like Quesnel,” he said.

Blackburn did undergo tests at the hospital and was not seriously injured.

He was able to join his teammates on the bus back to Vernon.