The Peterborough lorry explosion, 22 March 1989: an analysis of the hospital response

As a result of the lorry explosion on the Fengate Industrial Estate, Peterborough on 22nd March 1989, 82 casualties arrived at Peterborough District Hospital. Despite the fact that casualties arrived at the A&E Department in large numbers before the Major Accident Plan could be implemented, all of the casualties had been assessed and either admitted or sent home within 3 h of the explosion. In the process several valuable lessons were learned, and their implications are discussed in this paper.