As medics worked to save my dad, people shared photos online

2 hours ago Share Save Jenny Rees Health Correspondent, BBC Wales News Share Save

BBC Eve Thomas developed PTSD following her dad's road accident and says the actions of those around her contributed to that

When Eve Thomas found paramedics treating her badly injured father at the scene of a crash, she was surrounded by people taking photos and videos to share on social media. Loved ones were then mistakenly told that Eve's father had died, because online speculation travelled faster than the truth. Eve has backed a campaign urging people to think before sharing images of traumatic events, supported by emergency workers who say these actions interfere with their ability to save lives and preserve dignity. Insp Nia Lambley said there had been a "seismic change" in the behaviour of onlookers at the scene of emergency incidents, with phones often used to capture images rather than to call for help.

Eve, now 25, was 17 when her father, Nigel, was knocked off his bicycle returning home from work as a delivery driver in Hirwaun, Rhondda Cynon Taf. Her school bus was among the traffic that stopped at the scene in the immediate aftermath, and she saw that her father was involved. "I was essentially on a bus full of other children that were filming and taking pictures and it was incredibly distressing," said Eve. "He was treated by the air ambulance and people filmed his treatment." Nigel had sustained a severe traumatic brain injury and numerous other physical injuries. He was in a coma for a month and spent about nine months in hospital.

Eve Thomas Eve, pictured at the age of 14, with her father Nigel

Eve said having the incident documented and discussed online "took on a life of its own". "He was at a very vulnerable point and didn't have a voice in that - he couldn't speak on any of it, and people were sort of doing that for him - putting that narrative out there, that wasn't necessarily true." While friends attempted to have material taken down from various online platforms, the fact that it was filmed or photographed at all is something that Eve has struggled with. "Even if it's somebody's old phone is in a drawer, they've got my father's worst moment in his entire life on there," she said. "Even if we've managed to get [the images] taken down, the impact of knowing that people would do that stays. "If it was you or someone you loved in that situation, would you rather have someone take a minute and think - or call for help - or would you rather them film it and preserve that?"

Insp Nia Lambley: 'I had to run from the scene to tell his parents he had died'

Insp Lambley from South Wales Police is urging people to use their phones to call for help, rather than to livestream a person's final moments. "We're trying to give people as much dignity in that vulnerable moment as possible," said Insp Lambley. "When people whip their phones out and take photos of them or video them, we're losing control of that. We're not able to give them dignity." She said there had been a "seismic change" during her 13 years as a police officer. "Now it just seems the go-to is that instead of people using their phone to call for help, they're using it to film and upload to social media for nothing more than likes and comments. "It's not with the intention of bringing anyone to justice or to assist that person in any way - you're robbing that person of dignity." The campaign, It's Not Your Story To Tell, has been co-produced by Ms Thomas and the South Wales Trauma Network, which is made up of hospitals, emergency services and rehabilitation services.

'Livestreaming their last moments'

Insp Lambley said police being filmed by members of the public is common, and said she accepted that officers must be held accountable. "But when we see the impact it has on people that we're dealing with as victims of crime or traumatic incidents like car accidents or stabbings, it really hurts, because it completely contradicts what we're trying to do. "On some occasions they're using their phone to livestream people in - sometimes - their last moments." She recalled one incident where a 15-year-old boy had died and after attempting to resuscitate him, she and colleagues became aware that a member of the public had taken a photo and circulated on social media that the teenager had died. She said she had been trained to deliver "a death message" with dignity, meaning they would take time to compose themselves before breaking the news to relatives. "In this case I literally had to run from the scene to the house of this boy's parents, looking dishevelled and out of breath and bang on their door and say 'I'm really sorry, your son is dead'. "That's not how I ever wanted to deliver that message, but I felt I had to get there before social media. You're running against something that you have no control over. "For me, I did a disservice to that family. "But I intercepted somebody who was on their way to give their condolences, and more or less push them back from the front door, saying 'the [family] don't know'."

Andrea Bradley says being surrounded by people taking videos or pictures can also be an unwelcome distraction for emergency workers

Former England captain Owen Farrell is in line for a remarkable call-up to the British and Irish Lions tour of Australia.

With Elliot Daly ruled out with an arm injury, coach Andy Farrell is set to turn to his son, who will be going on his fourth Lions tour.

Trump's mega-bill heads for final vote in overnight US House session

Just now Share Save Brandon Drenon BBC News, Washington DC Share Save

Watch: Trump reacts to the Senate narrowly passing his budget bill

The US House of Representatives is working in the middle of the night as Donald Trump and his allies try to pressurise holdouts in the president's own Republican Party to back his mega-bill on tax and spending in a final vote. The sprawling legislation, which could define Trump's second term in office, passed a key procedural vote after 03:00 EDT (07:00 GMT). Trump's bill has been opposed not only by opposition Democrats, but by a handful of Republicans who criticise its potential impact on national finances, healthcare and other issues. The bill ground through the Senate earlier this week in another overnight session. Trump hopes it will pass by Friday.

Both chambers of Congress are controlled by Trump's Republicans, but within the party several factions are fighting over key policies in the lengthy legislation. The House, or lower chamber, approved an earlier version of the bill in May with a margin of just one vote, and this bill, with new amendments that have frustrated some Republicans, must now be reconciled with the Senate version. The bill narrowly cleared the Senate, or upper chamber, on Tuesday. Vice-President JD Vance cast a tie-breaking vote after more than 24 hours of debate and resistance from some Republican senators. It has so far proven equally tricky for Trump's allies to pass the bill through the House. After about seven hours of wrangling that led to most lawmakers clearing from the chamber on Wednesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson scheduled a vote on the rule - a procedural vote that allows the legislation to be brought to the floor for a full vote. This hurdle was ultimately cleared several hours later, and was seen as a signal that Republicans might have the support they needed after all.

The president has been very involved in attempting to persuade the holdouts and held several meetings at the White House on Wednesday in hopes of winning them over. On Wednesday, he took to social media to apply further pressure, saying that the "House is ready to vote tonight". He added that Republicans are "united" to deliver "massive growth". Ralph Norman, a House Republican from South Carolina, attended one of the meetings but wasn't persuaded. "There won't be any vote until we can satisfy everybody," he said, adding he believes there are about 25 other Republicans who are currently opposed to it. The chamber can only lose about three Republicans to pass the measure. "I got problems with this bill," he said. "I got trouble with all of it." Sticking points include the question of how much the bill will add to the US national deficit, and how deeply it will cut healthcare and other social programmes. During previous signs of rebellion against Trump at Congress, Republican lawmakers have ultimately fallen in line. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise told reporters that Republicans were still on their way to Washington to vote, and that several had flight delays due to bad weather. What is at stake this time is the defining piece of legislation for Trump's second term. But several factions stand in its way.

The deficit hawks

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that the version of the bill that was passed on Tuesday by the Senate could add $3.3tn (£2.4tn) to the US national deficit over the next 10 years. That compares with $2.8tn that could be added by the earlier version that was narrowly passed by the House. The deficit means the difference between what the US government spends and the revenue it receives. This outraged the fiscal hawks in the conservative House Freedom Caucus, who have threatened to tank the bill. Many of them are echoing claims made by Elon Musk, Trump's former adviser and campaign donor, who has repeatedly lashed out at lawmakers for considering a bill that will ultimately add to US national debt. Shortly after the Senate passed the bill, Texas congressman Chip Roy, of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus, was quick to signal his frustration. He said the odds of meeting Trump's 4 July deadline had lengthened.

Getty Images Congressman Ralph Norman is among the Republicans threatening to vote down the bill

Freedom Caucus chairman Andy Harris of Tennessee told Fox News that Musk was right to say the US cannot sustain these deficits. "He understands finances, he understands debts and deficits, and we have to make further progress." On Tuesday, Conservative congressman Andy Ogles went as far as to file an amendment that would completely replace the Senate version of the bill, which he called a "dud", with the original House-approved one. Ohio Republican Warren Davison posted on X: "Promising someone else will cut spending in the future does not cut spending."

The Medicaid guardians

Representatives from poorer districts are worried about the Senate version of the bill harming their constituents, which could also hurt them at the polls in 2026. According to the Hill, six Republicans were planning to vote down the bill due to concerns about cuts to key provisions, including cuts to medical coverage. Some of the critical Republicans have attacked the Senate's more aggressive cuts to Medicaid, the healthcare programme relied upon by millions of low-income Americans. "I've been clear from the start that I will not support a final reconciliation bill that makes harmful cuts to Medicaid, puts critical funding at risk, or threatens the stability of healthcare providers," said congressman David Valadao, who represents a swing district in California. This echoes the criticism of opposition House Democrats, whose leader, Hakeem Jeffries, posted a picture of himself on Wednesday to Instagram, holding a baseball bat and vowing to "keep the pressure on Trump's One Big Ugly Bill". Other Republicans have signalled a willingness to compromise. Randy Fine, from Florida, told the BBC he had frustrations with the Senate version of the bill, but that he would vote it through the House because "we can't let the perfect be the enemy of the good". House Republicans had wrestled over how much to cut Medicaid and food subsidies in the initial version their chamber passed. They needed the bill to reduce spending, in order to offset lost revenue from the tax cuts contained in the legislation. The Senate made steeper cuts to both areas in the version passed on Tuesday. Changes to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act (better known as Obamacare) in the Senate's bill would see roughly 12 million Americans lose health insurance by 2034, according to a CBO report published on Saturday. Under the version originally passed by the House, a smaller number of 11 million Americans would have had their coverage stripped, according to the CBO.

Hakeem Jeffries/Instagram House Democrats, led by Hakeem Jeffries, are united against the bill

The state tax (Salt) objectors

The bill also deals with the question of how much taxpayers can deduct from the amount they pay in federal taxes, based on how much they pay in state and local taxes (Salt). This, too, has become a controversial issue. There is currently a $10,000 cap, which expires this year. Both the Senate and House have approved increasing this to $40,000. But in the Senate-approved version, the cap would return to $10,000 after five years. This change could pose a problem for some House Republicans.

Watch as the Senate narrowly passes Trump's bill

Mercedes driver George Russell tells BBC Breakfast's John Watson that he will "give it everything" to win the British Grand Prix this weekend.

He also reflects on the support that he and the other British drivers receive at Silverstone.

READ MORE: Classic British Grand Prix images through the years