A PARAMEDIC crew sent 51 miles away to the wrong place while a teenage girl stopped breathing in a skatepark was an error of the ambulance service, it was confirmed today.
The 14-year-old girl waited an hour for a crew to be sent to Grove, near Wantage, Oxfordshire, after a call handler mistakenly sent the ambulance to Grove in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, - two counties away.
The girl, who was unconscious after downing vodka, needed to be resuscitated by a Police Community Support Officer at the scene.
South Central Ambulance Service initially believed the mistake had been caused by poor information given by member of the public making the emergency call.
But today a spokesman apologised for the mistake.
She added: "We have listened to the tapes and the ambulance was dispatched to the wrong Grove.
"It was our error on our part and we are conducting an investigation."
The girl was found at 7.02pm on Friday, February 22, but police records show an ambulance did not arrive until 8.08pm.
South Central Ambulance Service disputes the timings.
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