Published at 16:38, Wednesday, 19 December 2012

A TEENAGE rugby ace had to endure a lengthy wait for treatment after fracturing his collarbone during a game.

The 14-year-old was airlifted to hospital more than half an hour after sustaining the injury during Millom Under-14s’ defeat to their Carlisle counterparts.

Millom Rugby Union’s Under-14s coach, Paddy Loughran, said it was fortunate his player’s injury had not been life threatening.

He said: “One of my players got injured and we had to move him on to the other pitches to continue the game.

“We were told the Millom town ambulance had been called out so we then had to wait for the air ambulance.

“It was probably about 35 minutes between the lad getting injured and the air ambulance arriving.

“I know we live out in the sticks, but if our town ambulance is out, then we’re absolutely goosed.

“The air ambulance said they had been busy down in Liverpool so it sounds like it had come directly from there to us.

“Luckily it was only his collarbone, but God help him if it had been his neck or something.

“In a life threatening situation we’d have been in trouble.

“Luckily, in the Carlisle team, their first aider is actually a GP and there was an orthopaedic surgeon with them as well. They stayed with him.”

Among the spectators at Wilson Park, in Haverigg, on Sunday afternoon, was Millom councillor Jack Park, who said: “It is absolute disgrace.

“No-one should have to wait all that time with an injury.

“What if it had been more serious?”

The injury occurred when the player, whose family have asked not to be named, scored a try and another player fell on top of him.

A spokeswoman for the North West Ambulance Service said the teenager was flown to Furness General Hospital after his condition was reported to them as ‘escalating’ and it was deemed quicker to airlift him.

She said they had received a call at 12.45pm, to reports of a

14-year-old with a fractured collarbone.

A North West Air Ambulance spokeswoman added: “I can confirm that the NWAA was called out to an incident on December 16 at 1.13pm, involving a boy who was injured during a rugby match.

“He was taken to Furness General Hospital.”

l Also among the Millom Rugby Union Under-14s’ side was Connor Penrith, who was airlifted to FGH himself, after suffering a concussion during a rugby league match back in October.

Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk