A man had to be taken to Waterford hospital by the fire brigade yesterday evening after no ambulance showed up.
He had been involved in a two-car crash in the area of St John's Park in the city.
Caitríona English, who lives there, says she phoned for an ambulance but three hours later there was still no sign.
"It was 5.10pm yesterday evening when I rang the emergency services," she said," That's the ambulance, the fire fighters, and the Gardaí.
"After about 15 minutes, the Gardaí and the fire brigade came, but three hours later there was no sign of an ambulance.
"No ambulance came in the end."
Caitríona described to Damien Tiernan on Déise Today what had to happen instead:
"The poor guy was in the car and he was hurt. So, they put a neck brace on him - the fire brigade - and they wrapped him in the foil to keep him warm.
"No sign of an ambulance. We were waiting and waiting.
"So, in the end, the fire fighters cut the man out of the car, put him on a stretcher and put him into the back of the fire engine and drove him to Waterford hospital."
Caitríona says everyone was despairing at the situation, describing it as terrible:
"He could have had serious internal injuries and it's just disgraceful. I'm only ten minutes from the hospital if you're driving.
"We're not a third world country. We should have adequate healthcare.
"The poor guy was after hurting his shoulder but he seemed to kind of deteriorate; he felt sick and weak and faint.
"Obviously the guys were dealing with him, but it was just horrible to witness."
