Untreated After Vehicle Rollover Accident
A man in his 70s with a severed ankle, who was involved in a traffic accident, wandered for about an hour and 30 minutes unable to find a hospital for surgery and ultimately died.
According to a Yonhap News report on the 25th, at around 11:55 a.m. on the 18th, a vehicle driven by a man in his 70s, Mr. A, overturned on a four-lane road in Yeo-san-myeon, Iksan-si, Jeonbuk Province. As a result of the accident, Mr. A was ejected from the vehicle, severing his ankle and sustaining serious injuries to his head and waist.
Firefighters who arrived at the scene assessed Mr. A’s condition and inquired about the possibility of surgery at the Regional Trauma Center of Wonkwang University Hospital in Iksan. However, Wonkwang University Hospital responded that the ankle reattachment specialist had finished their on-call duty and left, so surgery was not possible. The firefighters also contacted Jeonbuk National University Hospital, but received a similar response that immediate treatment was difficult.
Ultimately, the firefighters transported Mr. A to a hospital in Jeonju about 35 km away from the accident site. However, this hospital also said, “Due to multiple injuries, surgery is difficult and he must be transferred to a general hospital.”
About an hour and 30 minutes after the accident, at around 1:19 p.m., the firefighters transferred Mr. A to Jeonju Yesu Hospital, but he eventually passed away there. Although there was a specialist available for surgery at Yesu Hospital at the time, Mr. A’s condition was critical, and only treatments such as artificial respiration could be provided.
The Jeonbuk provincial health authorities plan to thoroughly investigate whether conflicts between medical and political sectors or a shortage of regional medical personnel influenced Mr. A’s death.
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