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Football fan collapses and dies during match as ambulance firm denies 'chaos'

Mark Townsend, 57, died after he collapsed among the West Bromwich Albion supporters at Sheffield Wednesday's Hillsborough Stadium on September 28, 2024, an inquest has heard

[Mark Townsend inquest]

Mark Townsend died after he became unwell at Sheffield Wednesdays Hillsborough stadium (Image: PA Media)

The boss of a private ambulance firm has hit back at accusations that its response to a football supporter's cardiac arrest during a Championship fixture was "chaotic" and a complete "shambles".

Mark Townsend, 57, tragically passed away after collapsing amongst the West Bromwich Albion fans at Sheffield Wednesday's Hillsborough Stadium on September 28, 2024, an inquest was told.

Dr Richard Stones, a GP and West Brom supporter, informed Sheffield Coroners' Court on Monday that he was the first person to administer CPR to Mr Townsend in the Leppings Lane stand.

[Hillsborough Stadium]

Hillsborough Stadium(Image: PA Archive/PA Images)

The medic described the treatment Mr Townsend received at the venue as amongst the most appalling he had witnessed and branded it a "shambles".

However, Lewis Wright, who owns and runs Lambda Medical - the company contracted to deliver medical cover for Sheffield Wednesday fixtures - insisted to the coroner that the response was "almost text-book in how it was run in a very hostile and difficult environment".

Dr Stones recounted how he and off-duty paramedic Chelsea Jones alternated performing chest compressions on Mr Townsend, telling the court: "We are doing CPR. We are screaming out to get some help and nothing came."

[Sheffield Wednesday celebrate after the Carabao Cup]

Sheffield Wednesday team(Image: Pat Scaasi/Getty Images)

The doctor explained that when he requested a defibrillator, "literally, the stewards were just looking at me".

Dr Stones revealed that whilst paramedics eventually turned up with a defibrillator, they arrived without oxygen supplies. "It was just a shambles." he stated.

The GP informed the inquest that a choice was made to transfer Mr Townsend to the concourse area behind the Leppings Lane stand, where he claimed there was "more chaos". He explained that he was preparing to administer intravenous medication to Mr Townsend, as no one else appeared to be taking action, when a steward instructed him to "move away".

[Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Rohl ]

Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Rohl

Dr Stones described it as among the most distressing pre-hospital emergency situations he had ever encountered, calling it "just awful".

Speaking to Sheffield's senior coroner Tanyka Rawden, he revealed he had supported West Brom for five decades and regularly attended both home and away fixtures.

He outlined his credentials as a GP with the Ministry of Defence, with background in A&E work and experience as a football club medic.

Dr Stones recalled how supporters surrounding him were shouting for the referee to halt proceedings, with several fans entering the pitch in an attempt to stop the match. He stated: "They should have stopped the game."

When questioned about whether the behaviour of nearby spectators had contributed to the inadequate response he witnessed, Dr Stones replied: "The Albion fans did nothing wrong that day."

However, Mr Wright informed the inquest that alongside managing the company, he worked as an advanced paramedic and was the first member of his team to reach Mr Townsend.

He claimed Dr Stones's account of events in the stand was so vastly different from his own experience that "I can only surmise that he was at a different event from me".

[A general view of Hillsborough during the Sky Bet Championship match between Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United]

A general view of Hillsborough during the Sky Bet Championship match between Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United(Image: Getty Images)

The coroner suggested to him that both medically-qualified West Brom supporters who stepped in, Dr Stones and Ms Jones, had painted a picture of disorder.

Mr Wright responded: "There was a clear action plan throughout. There was clear communication. It was almost text-book in how it was run, in a very hostile and difficult environment."

He added: "There was a clear plan and a clear leadership there. I have honestly spent a year going through this and thinking about it. I still believe decisions made on that day were the correct decisions and would have led to the best possible outcome for Mark."

Mr Wright acknowledged it wasn't acceptable that his team's defibrillator battery gave out after delivering two shocks to Mr Townsend. He explained his choice to switch to a more sophisticated device from an ambulance once Mr Townsend had been transferred to the concourse.

Mr Wright detailed how a Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) crew from beyond the stadium also turned up, with their critical care paramedic being "overly assertive", declaring he was assuming control despite the Lambda team already treating Mr Townsend.

He noted there were then essentially "two teams working on the same arrest".

When the coroner questioned whether this posed a problem, Mr Wright replied it "made things more challenging" but stressed it "definitely had no detriment to the patient".

Mr Wright revealed his company secured the medical services contract for spectators at Hillsborough in 2024, defeating a proposal from YAS.

He explained that YAS kept the contract for players, meaning their crew shouldn't have intervened in a crowd-related incident unless it was a major emergency. Mr Wright confirmed Lambda now holds both contracts.

The inquest continues.

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