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Zamboni injury leaves B.C. victim steaming
Canwest News Service
Published: Wednesday, March 19, 2008

ABBOTSFORD -- Rory Prouse might have lost two fingertips to a Zamboni last week, but it's not the ice-cleaning machine that has his family steaming.

Prouse was cleaning ice out of a Zamboni last Thursday at an rink in Abbotsford when his fingers got caught in the blade.

A fire department crew quickly arrived and bandaged Prouse. But, according to his mother-in-law, the ambulance they called for never showed.

After almost 45 minutes and no ambulance in sight, Prouse's boss had to rush him to the hospital.

"[The fire department] waited with my son to make sure he was OK until the ambulance came, but one never showed up," said Debora Tremblay.

"This shouldn't have happened."

Dr. Karen Wanger, medical director for the B.C. Ambulance Lower Mainland region, said at that time, there was a peak in demand for life-threatening calls.

She said Prouse's call was handled properly and it was understood that the situation was under control.

The family's displeasure, however, was compounded when Prouse arrived the Matsqui-Sumas-Abbotsford (MSA) General Hospital, where he had his hand frozen and was told to come back the next day for surgery.

"We went back early the next morning and it was like no one even knew who we were or what we were in for," said Prouse's wife Amanda.

She said they were told that the hospital's hand surgeon was away that week and they would try to find another surgeon to attend to Prouse.

"We waited for three hours, and by that time Rory was in an extreme amount of pain," said Amanda.

Tremblay said Rory was finally scheduled for surgery and was given instructions to go to the nearest hand surgeon at Eagle Ridge Hospital in Port Coquitlam.

Dr. Dave Williams, medical director for MSA, said the hospital has only one plastic surgeon who takes on about 65 per cent of the calls. When their surgeon is away, they send patients to nearby hospitals.