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A grieving widow has demanded answers after taking her dying fiancé to hospital while waiting for emergency help from paramedics.
Danny Vasiljevic, 36, was sitting in a car in a shopping center on the outskirts of Melbourne on Sept. 23 when he called triple-0 complaining of difficulty breathing and severe chest pain.
His daughter Ariana was sitting in the back seat at the time.
He then contacted fiancé Katrina Christou, who quickly arrived to wait for the ambulance with him.
By the time the paramedics arrived, she had already driven Mr Vasiljevic to the hospital, where he passed out and could not be revived.
Four weeks after his tragic death, Ms Christou says the family feels abandoned by the ambulance system, while Ariana was robbed of her father for 10 months.
She also claims that nothing has been done to ensure the safety of their daughter after Mr Vasiljevic’s frantic cry for help.
Danny Vasiljevic (pictured right with his fiance Katrina) died in September while waiting for an ambulance
“Had I been minutes later than I was, he would have been unconscious and she would have been alone,” Mrs. Christou told the Herald Sun.
“Danny hasn’t been contacted since he made that first phone call. No one stayed on the phone. There was no call back. It was a code 1, he had chest pains and trouble breathing, and he had to fend for himself for 22 minutes until I canceled the ambulance.
“My daughter will grow up without a father and I will be alone without my main support.
Ambulance Victoria says the nearest available ambulance was immediately sent to Mr Vasiljevic under flashing lights and sirens.
“We extend our deepest condolences to Daniel’s family and loved ones at this extremely difficult time,” a spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.
Ambulance Victoria is committed to providing the best possible care for every patient. We are currently evaluating the incident and have contacted Daniel’s family.”
Ambulance officers will meet Mr Vasiljevic’s family when ready.
“Losing a family member or partner at such a young age is extremely confronting and I can’t imagine what that experience is like,” Anthony Carlyon, director of clinical operations, told reporters on Wednesday.
“We’ve started an investigation into the case, but don’t have all the details yet.”
“The most important thing for us is to be open and transparent with the family about the opportunities we had to do better.”
Katrina Christou (right) drove her dying fiancé Danny Vasiljevic (left) to hospital, but it was too late to save him
Victoria’s opposition government agreed to the family’s call for answers as state elections loom next month.
“This is a truly heartbreaking, tragic story and it just shows the magnitude of the health crisis in Victoria that is underway,” said health spokeswoman Georgie Crozier.
Vasiljevic died tragically just weeks after a damning report from Victoria’s emergency response system found that 33 people had died waiting an unacceptably long time for an ambulance within a 17-month period between December 2020 and May 2022.
Disaster Response Inspector General Tony Pearce, who wrote the report, said it is up to the coroner’s court to decide whether delays contributed to the deaths.
The report found that the benchmark was missed throughout the period: in September 2021, 67.8 percent of calls were answered within five seconds.
Victoria’s Commissioner for Equal Opportunities and Human Rights also conducts 17 months of research into the ‘toxic culture’ of the ambulance service.
Danny Vasiljevic (pictured while renovating his home) died shortly after complaining of severe chest pain and breathing difficulties
Danny and his partner of nine years Katrina welcomed their first child 10 months ago
Meanwhile, the outpouring of tributes continues for Mr. Vasiljevic, who is remembered as a man who placed the needs of others above his own and always made time to check in with loved ones.
Friends and family have united behind his fiancée and daughter to raise nearly $60,000 as they continue to grapple with the heartbreaking loss.
The couple had been together for nine years and engaged for three years.
“Danny would be so overwhelmed by the care and love shown to our beautiful family,” Ms Christou wrote on a note. online fundraiser.
“I can’t find the words to properly express anything right now, but please know how incredibly grateful I am that people are helping me work through this grief by taking the immediate stress out of bills, payments and finances in the coming months.” . I am very moved by the kindness.’
Danny (right) leaves behind a grieving fiancée (left) and a 10-month-old daughter, who was sitting in the back seat of the car when he called for help
Shortly before his death, Danny contacted triple-0 requesting an ambulance (stock image)