Marlborough captain has agonising wait for aid

Father frustrated at ambulance response time

COMING OFF: Marlborough Boys’ College First XV captain Zac Harrison-Jones had an excruciating wait for the ambulance after breaking a leg during Saturday’s clash against Lincoln High School.

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The captain of the Marlborough Boys' College First XV lay on the college's front field for about 40 minutes on Saturday, after snapping a lower leg during a game against Lincoln High School.

Zac Harrison-Jones suffered a clean break to both his tibia and fibula, mid-shin, about 15 minutes into the match.

He then had an excruciating wait for the ambulance, which took more than 30 minutes to get to the scene.

His father Robert Harrison-Jones said it had been "a bit bloody emotional" waiting with his son, but he wasn't sure of the reasons for the delay.

"They did take a long time, apparently they were delivering a patient to Wairau Hospital, everyone was doing their utmost to speed the ambulance up," he said.

St John Ambulance Blenheim station manager Rebecca Lee said both ambulances at the station and staff had been "fully committed". "We're not always sitting at the station available ... it's just the nature of the business," she said.

Staff got to the incident as soon as possible, administering pain relief to Zac Harrison-Jones straight away, and there had been a good outcome, Lee said.

Vicki Harrison-Jones said her son was still in hospital, where he would stay until about Wednesday.

The incident had just been an unfortunate matter of the players clashing in the wrong place at the wrong time, she said.

"It was nasty but it could be worse."

Zac Harrison-Jones would be on crutches for about six weeks, with about six months' recovery expected, Vicki Harrison-Jones said. He had surgery at 5pm on Saturday, when a metal rod was inserted below his knee down to the break.