Brian Hurton, 55, died on November 18 of last year after suffering an aortic dissection, a tear in the body's main artery. He made his first emergency call at 5:55 p.m., reporting difficulty breathing and feeling faint. Call handlers informed him that a clinician would call him back and advised him to call again if his condition worsened.
Approximately ten minutes later, Hurton called again, stating he was "losing breath." He was again told that someone would call him back. According to a transcript reviewed by BBC Scotland News, a call handler explained, "We are quite busy in the area at the moment Brian, so based on the information provided instead of an ambulance response initially one of our clinicians is (going to) call you back."
An hour and 12 minutes after his initial call, a clinician did call back, but Hurton did not answer this or two subsequent calls. An ambulance was eventually dispatched at 9:12 p.m., arriving at his East Kilbride home nearly three-and-a-half hours after his first 999 call. Paramedics found Hurton deceased on his bathroom floor; his front door was ajar.