RAC apologises to a man left stranded outside West Midlands Safari Park overnight following a family day out after breaking down
A driver was left stranded outside West Midlands Safari Park overnight while waiting for the RAC after breaking down after a family day out
The RAC has apologised after a Shrewsbury man in a converted ambulance was left broken down outside the West Midlands Safari Park overnight, following a family day out.
Merlin Brick, 46, from Cross Houses spent nearly 19 hours outside the Bewdley attraction, after taking his disabled wife and two children on a day out on Tuesday, the BBC reports.
Mr Brick, who was driving an ex-patient transfer ambulance converted for his wife Rebecca, who has quadriplegic cerebral palsy, stopped running, called the RAC after the vehicle broke down about 4pm.
He said RAC arrived within an hour but the breakdown service had to order a recovery vehicle. He was told to expect a "long delay" and given an estimate of 6.30pm.
While his father-in-law picked up Mr Brick’s disabled wife and their two children, the father of two decided to wait for the recovery vehicle.
But he said the estimated time of arrival kept "shifting".
"It got worse with updates as to the ETA… the next one was 11:20 to 04:30, after that, it refreshed again and it was 00:50 to 01:20," he told the BBC.
The recovery vehicle finally turned up at 11.20am the next morning.
Mr Brick, who said he had an anxious time worrying about his wife and family at home, said the breakdown service should be more “compassionate” due to his wife’s disability.
"I had an anxious time, my father-in-law is in his 60s, he's got a four-year-old and a 16-month-old to look after," he said. “If you've got vulnerable people, surely it makes sense to get them out of the situation as soon as possible.”.
The RAC say they have apologised and compensated Mr Brick.
A spokesperson for the RAC told the Shropshire Star: "We’re very sorry Mr Brick and his family didn’t receive our usual high standard of service.
"While our patrol reached the family in just over an hour of the breakdown, the vehicle needed to be recovered on a flatbed truck.
"Unfortunately, an error was made with arranging the follow up recovery. We’ve apologised, reimbursed his family's costs and given a free year’s membership. We’re pleased to say he remains a valued member.”
