An elderly woman has died after a long wait for an ambulance following a serious crash in Wales.
The victim was airlifted to hospital after a two-vehicle crash on the A470 in Wales that left three other people injured on September 19.
The crash happened at Llanrwst just after 3pm and the road was closed for almost eight hours, Wales Online reports.
A witness claimed the ambulance service was contacted at 3.12pm, with an ambulance arriving at 5pm and another one at 5.30pm.
However, the Welsh Ambulance service denied this and said the first resource, a helicopter, arrived at the scene approximately one hour after the 999 call.
The incident was "categorised as a serious but not immediately life-threatening call", the ambulance service said.
The woman, who has not been named, was taken to hospital but died two days later, North Wales Live reports.
Witness Charles Owen, who stopped at the scene of the crash, said waiting for the ambulance for so long was "distressing" and "frustrating".
He said: "We always get told about the 'golden hour' that period of time immediately after a traumatic injury during which there is the highest likelihood that prompt medical and surgical treatment will prevent death. Two hours later is no good at all.
"It's unacceptable with what's going on with the Welsh Ambulance Service, but then it doesn't help that ambulances are piling up outside hospitals for hours as the changeovers are so slow."
Mr Owen added: "There were six police cars on the scene but what was needed were ambulances. It was a horrible situation and it's so very sad to hear the poor lady has died.
"We kept on hearing sirens in the distance thinking, hoping it was an ambulance but it never was.
"It's very sad and unacceptable that the ambulance service has come to this."
Janet Finch-Saunders, a Welsh Conservative Party politician, said: "This is scandalous, my thoughts go out to the family and friends of this poor lady. Lives are now being lost and I'm shocked to hear what has happened in this tragic incident.
"The ambulance service are now being called as people can't even see their GPs it's awful all around at the moment and I have raised it as a debate in the Senedd."
Stephen Sheldon, the Welsh Ambulance Service’s Interim Operations Manager in North West Wales, told The Mirror: “We had a call at 3.12pm on Sunday 19 September to reports of a two-vehicle road traffic collision in Llanrwst, which was categorised as a serious but not immediately life-threatening call.
"We sent two ambulances and an air ambulance, the first resource arriving at scene approximately one hour after the call. We’re keen to better understand the concerns of those involved, and would invite patients or their representatives to contact the Trust so that we can liaise directly with them.”
