M5 Doctor: 'Whole Gamut' Of Injuries Treated

A senior doctor at the hospital that treated casualties of the M5 pile-up has described how medical staff dealt with "the whole gamut" of possible injuries.

Consultant in emergency medicine at Taunton's Musgrove Park Hospital, Dr Clifford Mann, said six resuscitations were being carried out simultaneously at one point following the incident.

Seven people died and more than 50 were hurt in the accident on Friday night.

And Dr Mann said scores of medical workers were needed to cope with the influx of patients.

"We normally have one resuscitation going on at any one time, (but) on Friday night there was at one point six resuscitations going on simultaneously," he said.

"So we had six teams, each team had four doctors plus nursing staff. So simultaneously we had 50 or 60 people working alongside each other.

"There was a whole gamut of injuries really. I mean, any injury you might expect from a road traffic accident, we had an example of.

"For some patients their care will certainly last weeks, if not months."

He added that a number of other medical experts and centres had assisted in treating the large number of patients, including GPs who specialise in pre-hospital care.

"There were many more patients involved than came here, so 21 patients went to Yeovil district hospital, which was invaluable, because it reduced the burden on this hospital," he said.

"A number of people were treated by GPs and paramedics on the scene at a casualty station that they set up there."