Care for fan who collapsed at football match a ‘shambles’

An off-duty medic who tried to save a man in cardiac arrest during a Championship football match “screamed out to get some help” to no avail, an inquest heard.

Mark Townsend, 57, from Birmingham, collapsed at the Leppings Lane stand at Hillsborough Stadium while watching West Brom’s away tie with Sheffield Wednesday on 28 September last year.

Dr Richard Stones, a fellow West Brom supporter in the away end who had tried to help Mr Townsend, described the care given at the ground as a “shambles”.

“The stewards were just looking at me. There was no communication,” he told the hearing at Sheffield Medico-Legal Centre.

CCTV played at the inquest showed a supporter who had been sat near Mr Townsend speak to a steward just before 13:00 BST, understood to have been flagging up his concern.

Chelsea Jones, a West Brom fan and off-duty paramedic, was called to Mr Townsend’s side at a similar time and described him as “grey”.

She told the inquest: “I asked for a medic and [a steward] said: ‘There are no radios.’

“I said: ‘Can you use your feet?'”.

Ms Jones, who provided much of the initial CPR, said it felt like it took “forever” for a paramedic to arrive.

“Everyone knew something was wrong, they could see the severity of it and they just wanted help,” she added.

Paramedics from private ambulance service Lambda Medical, which is contracted to provide crowd first aid at the ground, arrived at the scene up to 10 minutes after CPR had begun, according to the witnesses.

Mr Townsend, who had been laid on the narrow floor in front of his seats, was taken to the concourse on a stretcher where treatment continued from about 13:14, the inquest heard.

Dr Stones added: “My understanding is not to start moving people when they are in cardiac arrest, but somebody made that decision.”

He became emotional, adding: “I tried my best – it was just awful.”

Lewis Wright, director of private ambulance service Lambda and the first paramedic on the scene, told the inquest Mr Townsend had received “textbook care” in a “chaotic environment”.

“I can only surmise that [Dr Stones] was at a different event from me,” he added.

Ms Jones said there felt like there was “no team leader” until a paramedic from Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) arrived and took over Mr Townsend’s care.

“There was an obvious structure. People knew their roles,” she added.

Mr Wright described her recollection as “unfair” as his team had moved Mr Townsend to a better environment where treatment was then able to improve.

He said YAS’ attendance created a “two-team dynamic” and pointed out on CCTV footage how a YAS staff member had administered a defibrillator shock to Mr Townsend and shocked a Lambda worker in the process.

Senior Coroner Tanyka Rawden said multiple teams having access points to a patient was a “risk”.

“You don’t seem to be talking to each other, there are drugs going around that you’ve got, that he’s got,” she said.

Dr Stones was asked by Ian Perkins, representing Sheffield Wednesday, whether he could have been mistaken about some of his recollections given the intensity of the events.

Mr Perkins suggested it took about four minutes, rather than 10 minutes, for the first paramedics to arrive.

Dr Stones, who described himself as a “good Samaritan bystander”, said: “I wasn’t aware of everything that was going on.”

Steve Townsend, Mark’s brother, described him as one of the “nicest people you would ever meet”.

“If it was his last pound in his pocket and you needed it, he would give it to you,” he said.

“I loved him as a brother, but he was the best mate you could ever wish for, he would never let you down.”

The inquest is due to continue on Tuesday.