Kelowna

Photo: John O'Connor RCMP attend to drivers involved in a four-vehicle collision in front of Kelowna General Hospital Thursday afternoon.

A car accident in front of Kelowna General Hospital Thursday afternoon didn't benefit from the immediate response time one might expect given the proximity.

Paramedics could not immediately attend the scene of a four-vehicle fender bender on Pandosy Street directly in front the hospital just after 12 p.m. today because, according to B.C. Ambulance Service, all ambulances in Kelowna proper were out on calls at the time.

BC Ambulance Service says it received a call at 12:19 p.m. in response to the accident and arrived on the scene at 12:26 p.m. The Service adds that ambulances only remain at hospitals to ensure a patient is admitted; however, if an ambulance is not on call and happens upon an accident, they must stop and attend.

One man was treated for a minor arm injury as a result of his car being struck from behind, while a woman believed to have set off the chain reaction after taking her eyes off the road as she approached a traffic light was examined by paramedics.

“If I didn't have a seat belt on, I would have went right through the front window,” says 69-year-old Donald Nieburger, whose car was sent flying into another after being struck from behind.

Police closed a portion of Pandosy's southbound lane in front of the hospital while they attended to the drivers and investigated.