A pregnant wife had to direct an to hospital while her husband suffered a cardiac arrest in the back – as the crew didn't know the way, an inquest has heard.

a young mother-to-be of twins, was on her way to meet her husband, Aaron Morris, 31, following an overnight stay in hospital when she found her husband lying in the road after his motorbike collided with a car at the junction with Newhouse Road and Priestburn Close, in Esh Winning, County Durham.

At the coroner's court in County Durham, a heart-wrenching narrative unfolded. Although Aaron was conscious and breathing post-collision, the delay in emergency response from Ambulanz, a third-party ambulance service, saw his condition rapidly deteriorate.

It took a whole 54 minutes for the ambulance to arrive after multiple calls were made by bystanders, including a nurse practitioner friend of Samantha's.

Sadly, Aaron died shortly upon reaching the University Hospital of North Durham, reported. As Samantha recounted to the Darlington Coroner's Court: "I was there to hold Aaron's hand as his heart took its last beat." The inquest continues, laying bare the grief and systemic challenges faced by those relying on emergency services.

Samantha revealed that the ambulance driver had enquired about the nearest trauma centre and was heading towards Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) when Aaron suffered a cardiac arrest near Leadgate roundabout. She then guided the driver to the closest hospital.

Samantha expressed her anguish, saying: "I was 13 weeks pregnant and my husband was having CPR in the back of the ambulance. Why should I make the decision on what hospital my husband should be taken to? I have to live with the fact that if I said the RVI he might still be alive to this day. She added: "[The driver] made the right decision to ask. I don't fault him for that. My fault in that is the people who manage and train him should have given him the tools to know where the nearest hospital is. He made the right decision that day by using what he had, which was me who lives in the local area."

Aaron's inquest initially began in May and was subsequently postponed after the coroner named the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) as an interested party. Two officers from Durham Constabulary who were present at the collision site were the first to testify today, including DC Rebecca Shaw, who informed the hearing that she was the first officer on scene.

She was off-duty and driving in the area when she was redirected around the collision by members of the public.

DC Shaw revealed at the inquest that she halted her vehicle upon spotting a body in the road, encircled by several individuals. She then made multiple emergency calls from her mobile phone, which was subsequently handed over to an off-duty nurse named Helen.

The inquest is ongoing.