The problems on the fatal road section between Telish and Radomirtsi, where 12-year-old Siyana died, are increasing. It turns out that ambulances transporting serious patients are also in trouble and cannot reach the hospital unhindered, bTV reported.
Emergency medics from Lovech cover part of the settlements along the first-class road I-3 Pleven-Lukovit, where the serious accident occurred. According to them, the problem with the section is complex.
„Most of the road in question is in the Lovech region, in the Lukovit region. I dare say that the road is even worse here. All traffic passes through the center of Lukovit, continues towards Sofia, where the road becomes even narrower with the same pavement. In addition to the fact that the roads are bad, we have an insane participation of drivers who do not comply with either the road conditions or the signs“, said Dr. Silvia Moeva, Deputy Director of the Emergency Center.
Depending on the patient's condition, doctors have to bypass the section between Lukovit and Pleven.
„If the patient is from Teteven or Lukovit, this is the most direct route, but we use this route when it comes to a sick person, when gentle transport is needed, i.e. the ambulance should not drive fast. This is 50 km. When it comes to a critically ill person, we go through Lovech, the main road Lovech - Pleven, i.e. we travel 100 km, which is a problem for us in an hour“, added Dr. Moeva.
Ambulance drivers signal that they are not given the right of way by other drivers, and this puts their work and the condition of patients at risk.
“Ambulances are not given the right of way en masse, it doesn't matter if they are trucks or cars. You blow your horn behind them, drive, whistle at them, they have crossed the center line and are not moving. Very few turn on their turn signals and pull over. I fear for the lives of the people I drive, because the patient can be almost immobile. Doctors do everything they can, stand up straight, turn on systems, change banks and all this with gas, brakes, gas brakes. On this bad road, if you drive a woman in labor, she will give birth right on the road“, said Petar, who is an ambulance driver.
According to Dr. Plamen Valchev, drivers in our country are not trained to react to the movement of vehicles with special regimes.
“A nervous driver who is angry that an ambulance with special regimes has overtaken him stops in front of the ambulance, forces us to stop and uses obscene gestures and words. They do not know how to turn, how to make way for us. Drivers who are driving on the opposite side have the feeling that they should not be involved either“, said Dr. Valchev.