The medical aftermath of St. Patrick’s Day in Dunedin

The medical aftermath of St. Patrick’s Day was similar to New Year’s for the Dunedin Hospital emergency department.

Sergeant Major Craig Dinnissen had warned that drunkenness in the student ward on St. Patrick’s Day was “worse” than on New Year’s Eve.

“It’s just a binge day,” he said, and hospital figures suggest he was right.

Emergency department (ED) clinical director Dr. Rich Stephenson said the impact on ED was “broadly the same as New Year’s Day.”

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“While it is rare to see large numbers of patients as a result of celebrations, irresponsible use can have a significant impact on our staff and other patients.”

Drunk patients may require more resources to deal with and can be abusive, Stephenson said.

“This time could be used to treat patients whose illness or injury has not contributed to the decision to consume alcohol to an extent that may cause harm,” he said.

Police had previously warned that excessive alcohol consumption by the student population could hamper the response of emergency services.

In the most serious incident, which occurred just before midnight Wednesday, three people from North Otago tried unsuccessfully to join a party in a flat on Dundas St.

The trio, a 21-year-old woman, a 19-year-old man and a 26-year-old man, broke a mailbox and the older man challenged the occupants of the flat to a fight.

Later, one person was taken to Dunedin hospital, Dinnissen said.

The 19-year-old then took the trio to Butts Rd, where a huge St. Patrick’s Day party was taking place.

He spun the vehicle around the partygoers, then stopped and tried to attack a random person with a bottle.

Both men were arrested. The teen was found to have nearly double the legal limit for driving under the influence and was later charged.

Dinnissen said the driver was lucky not to kill anyone, as his actions had the potential to cause “carnage” given the number of drunk pedestrians on the narrow road.

Police were busy with alcohol-related incidents throughout the day, including four calls to Regent Night ‘n Day, some relating to a much-sought-after morning delicacy: pastries.

In one, $ 13 worth of stolen items was placed in the jacket of a 49-year-old man who was detained by security and later raided.

At 11.10pm, a 20-year-old man was seen putting two cakes in a bag and then eating one while waiting to pay.

Twenty minutes later, security detained a 20-year-old man who had shoved a cake into his pants.

Another man tried to steal a packet of letters from the same dairy, but was also detained by security, trespassed and fined by the store, Dinnissen said.

Police were also detained by members of the public after they found an 18-year-old drunk man convulsing on the lawn near the public gardens.

Dinnissen said the man was unable to speak, but could make “hand signals” while losing consciousness.

Officers assisted with first aid until staff from St John Ambulance arrived.

On Castle St, people were seen setting a mattress on fire before firefighters soaked it around 1.40am Thursday.

Police were also called into an incident in which a woman and her friends filmed and abused a man pulling out his rolling container around 3 p.m. Wednesday.

The 44-year-old approached the group and attacked them, but missed. Police reviewed the incident, arrested the man and warned him.

Two hours later, a 20-year-old driver struck a woman who ran in front of him on Dundas St.

The man called emergency services, but the woman fled the scene.

The 19-year-old woman later went to the Dunedin Hospital emergency department with minor injuries.