. . .
She and two others on the block complained that it took an ambulance at least 15 minutes to arrive. Then they walked by [the boy lying on the ground] to check on the driver.
If Quinell's friends hadn't beat the law-abiding van driver nearly to death, then the ambulance crew would have been able to concentrate their efforts on Quinell. That's my take on it, anyways.
What a simple but salient point you made.