Louise Appleton said her sister Janelle Reid fell down stairs at a Cromwell property on Thursday and ended up on the ground outside in agony.
Family members called for an ambulance at 5.45pm.
"She couldn't move," she said.
"There was heavy rain, and a makeshift cover was arranged in the way of a child's tent while they awaited the ambulance."
Family members called the 111 system again at 6.45pm to see when the ambulance was due to arrive, and were told St John would get there as soon as it could, Mrs Appleton said.
"Finally, at 7.45pm, the ambulance turned up after [Janelle was] two hours outside in the rain."
Ambulance officers stabilised her sister’s leg and transferred her inside, she said.
"They monitored her for an hour due to a fast heart rate, and decided the best option for her was for her to drive one hour to the Queenstown accident and emergency department."
Ambulance officers assisted her into her own car and her nephew drove her.
She was then checked over and sent home to come back in the morning for an X-ray.
Yesterday’s X-ray found she had three breaks in her leg and ankle.
She is now due to be sent by ambulance to Invercargill to see an orthopaedic specialist.
Mrs Appleton was concerned about the lack of ambulance and after-hours services.
"I’m worried that when you are injured, there’s a real lack of response and facilities in Central Otago.
"The ambulance people do an amazing job when they get here. There’s just not enough of them.
"It could hinder your speedy recovery - or someone could die waiting for treatment."
St John Southland Otago watch operations manager Angela Hodge said St John operated a "patient-centred deployment model", which aimed to send the closest, most appropriate emergency resource to patients in the greatest need, as soon as possible.
"When someone phones 111 for an ambulance, the call handler will assess the patient over the phone by asking a set of clinical questions.
"Their call is triaged based on the responses. This means if a patient’s condition is deemed to be non-life-threatening, people can expect a delay for an ambulance.
"For anyone waiting, a paramedic will call back to provide welfare checks to determine any change in the patient’s condition."
At the time of the incident, all ambulances were committed to other urgent life-threatening calls and the caller was advised there would be a delay, she said.
"At 7.50pm the crew was on scene and assessed the patient to be in a moderate condition, but further treatment was recommended at Lakes District Hospital.
"The patient indicated they were happy with the plan to go by private transport with a whanau member."
The Southern District Health Board did not respond to calls for comment yesterday.
