Ambulance refused to drive seriously injured man to hospital

Girlfriend KohinoorNordberg and
several shocked witnesess as paramedics
and police allegedly refused to help Ali.
Photo: Caroline Drefvelin.
_______________________

Paramedics refused to take seriously injured Ali to hospital after he was beat up in a park in Oslo, allegedly because he had wet his trousers. Ali's family now fear that he will suffer permanent brain damage. "This would never happen to a white man," lawyer Abid Q. Raja says.

Oslo hospital Ullevål universitetssykehus launched an internal investigation Tuesday, after a 37-year-old seriously injured man was refused entry into the ambulance. The man, known as Ali, was badly beat up in a park in Oslo Monday afternoon, but paramedics wanted nothing to do with him after he accidentally wet his trousers, according to witnesses.

"This would never happen to a white man," said prominent lawyer Abid Q. Raja, representing Ali and his family.

Ali was enjoying the sunshine in the park with his girlfriend Kohinoor Norberg Monday afternoon, when he was badly beat up by another man. Witnesses told how Ali fell to the ground with his head first, and was unconscious for several minutes. Shocked witnesses called both the ambulance and police. When the paramedics arrived, however, Ali had accidentally wet his trousers. Hazy, Ali, having gained conscience, stood up and wet his trousers for a second time, according to witnesses.

Witness Caroline Drefvelin was shocked by the paramedics' behaviour.

"The blood was running form his head, and he seemed very groggy. When he peed by the ambulance, one of the paramedics said 'You f...ing pig', and then they refused to take him with them," she told Aftenposten.no.

Police stood by, but did not get involved when Ali was refused help, according to Ali's girlfriend Nordberg. She later took a taxi to the hospital with Ali.

"The paramedics didn’t even look at him before they refused to take him with them," she said.

"Had he been a white woman bleeding in the park, this would not have happened."

Once in hospital, Ali was in surgery for almost five hours. His family said that doctors have informed them that he might suffer permanent brain damage.

"His injuries are much more serious than we feared. That makes the incident even graver. It is completely incomprehensible how paramedics can leave a man who's seriously injured," Nordberg said.

The ambulance personnel in questions have temporarily left their positions, according to the hospital.

"They are not suspended, but it is a way to improve the internal investigation," said spokesperson Arild Østergaard to Aftenposten.no.

Aftenposten English Web Desk
Kristin Solberg

Aftenposten's reporter
Jostein Ihlebæk