Medical officer notes increase in car accidents

THERE has been an increase in the number of vehicle accidents in the National Capital District (NCD) and Central, a senior officer with St John Ambulance (SJA) says.
SJA head of clinical and operational support Jacquie Hennessy told The National that the recent accident SJA attended to was along the Hiritano Highway on Monday night which resulted in three deaths and two severely injured people.
The vehicle was an ambulance transporting a patient to Port Moresby with nine others that overturned and rolled down an embankment.
Hennessy explained that being the only capable rescue unit at the scene, the ambulance officers freed the patient from the wreckage using tools in the SJA vehicle and rope rescue techniques.
The patient was brought up the embankment using a specialised rescue stretcher.
She said they left the scene with the two seriously injured patients at 10pm.
Hennessy said police were there and the fire service arrived much later.
She said they were seeing more accidents due to the rainy festive season.