An Edmonton senior says his faith in emergency services has been shaken after he was forced to drive a severely injured man to the hospital himself, following warnings of a multi-hour wait for an ambulance.
A Chilling Discovery in the Parking Lot
Richard Gendron, 72, was at his business near 75 Street and Wagner Road on the afternoon of January 4 when he witnessed a distressing scene. In the -20 C weather, he discovered a man crawling on his belly through the snow in the parking lot.
"I found a man with a broken leg crawling on his belly in my parking lot," Gendron recounted. He immediately pulled the injured individual into his warm shop, noting the man's hand was blue from the cold. The victim stated he had been assaulted, and Gendron could see bone protruding from his leg.
The 911 Call and a Stark Reality Check
Gendron promptly called 911. The operator assured him that both police and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) were being dispatched. Police arrived approximately 15 minutes later, but they delivered troubling news: no ambulance was currently available, and it could be hours before one arrived.
In an email statement to Postmedia, an Edmonton Police Service spokesperson confirmed the details. They stated that the complainant declined to wait for EMS and confirmed he could get into a vehicle on his own. Police verbally confirmed multiple times that the injured man was choosing alternative transport to the hospital.
A Personal Journey to an Overwhelmed ER
Faced with no other timely option, Gendron made the decision to drive the man to the University of Alberta Hospital. Upon arrival, they found the emergency department full. It ultimately took four hospital staff members to maneuver the injured man into a wheelchair.
"I hope that man does OK," Gendron said, reflecting on the ordeal. The incident stood in stark contrast to his own experience with EMS just a few years prior. On February 20, 2020, when Gendron suffered a stroke, an ambulance arrived within five minutes, and he was receiving life-saving treatment at the same hospital within 45 minutes.
"That was Feb 20, 2020. In 2026, I had to drive a man to the hospital," he noted, highlighting a perceived decline in emergency response.
Community Steps Up Where Systems Stretch Thin
The event has prompted Gendron to take community safety into his own hands. He has since visited neighboring businesses, collecting contact information to create a local emergency network.
"We can’t count on health and safety anymore. As a group, we can at the very least save our lives," he stated. Meanwhile, police confirmed they canvassed the area for video evidence and later met with the assault complainant at the hospital to continue their investigation.
