Two ambulances with patients en route to Dubrovnik were stuck due to a bus breakdown with Polish high school students on the Ilovik ferry ramp, but fortunately, there were no consequences for the patients' health.
The information was confirmed on Monday, August 10, by the Dubrovnik-Neretva County Emergency Medicine Institute and Jadrolinija, clarifying the sequence of events and the technical cause of the delay.
According to the emergency services, the first medical vehicle from the Korčula station was on the ferry during the delay. It was transporting a patient for further treatment at Dubrovnik Hospital. Due to the ferry line issue, the transport was extended by an hour. The patient was under the supervision of the medical team the entire time, and the emergency services emphasize that the delay had no negative impact on the patient's health.
After 45 minutes of blockage, a second ambulance arrived at the ferry terminal, this time from the Blato station, with another patient heading to the same hospital. Their journey was extended by 15 minutes, but again, there were no adverse effects.
Jadrolinija explained the technical background of the incident. The bus with Polish high school students got stuck on the Ilovik ferry ramp due to an air suspension issue.
"Our employees gave instructions to the driver, and the bus exited after 45 minutes, without any damage to the ferry or the bus. On a given day, over twenty buses are loaded and unloaded, and there are almost never any problems," Jadrolinija told Index.hr.
They also added that they had timely published information about the one-hour delay on their official website.
Jadrolinija also revealed that the captain of another ferry was ready to react if the situation had been more urgent.
"According to our information, the delay did not affect emergency medical intervention. The captain of the other ferry offered to return to Dominče if it was an emergency and to organize urgent transport in another way. This was not necessary because the bus managed to disembark in the meantime, and the other ferry was able to dock," the company explained.
The emergency services later confirmed that it was not an emergency call but a planned transport of two patients. Due to the entire event, there was no need for additional measures to ensure emergency medical care on Korčula.
