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"I'm home": Paramedics grant dying grandmother's final wish

<p>Dedicated paramedics have made an emotional pit stop at the beach for a dying grandmother who wanted to see the ocean one last time. </p> <p>The ambos were transporting 94-year-old Shirl McHugh to the hospital when the grandmother asked to make a stop at Newcastle's Bar Beach: her favourite spot. </p> <p>Shirl told the paramedics she wanted to "feel the salt breeze one last time", as she had a feeling she wouldn't be leaving the hospital. </p> <p>When they stopped at the beach, the great-grandmother relaxed and told paramedic Brittaney Banks, "I'm home".</p> <p>Thankfully, Ms McHugh was able to bask in a beautifully fine day to take in the famous stretch of beach, which is busy with swimmers, surfers, lifesavers and families most days.</p> <p>Shirl, who was a respected member of her church as well as the wider community, died just 15 hours after her stop at the ocean. </p> <p>The NSW ambulance shared Shirl's story to their Instagram page, with paramedic Brittaney Banks recalling the emotional day. </p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CyK0y_Ns8j5/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CyK0y_Ns8j5/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by NSW Ambulance (@nswambulance)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>"When I opened the doors of the ambulance, Shirley said 'I'm home', and breathed a sigh of relaxation… it's one of those jobs I will remember forever," Brittaney said. </p> <p>Her granddaughter expressed her gratitude on social media, thanking the ambulance crew for respecting the special request from the stylish great-grandmother known to many as 'Shirl the Pearl'.</p> <p>"Thank you ladies for fulfilling my Nan's final wish on her way home," Emma Brown wrote. </p> <p>"She had such a beautiful soul, it was really my pleasure," Ms Banks replied.</p> <p>"I am so glad we could bring her home."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram</em></p>

Caring

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“Ray of sunshine”: Wife of stabbed paramedic gives birth to baby girl

<p dir="ltr">The wife of NSW paramedic Steven Tougher has given birth to their baby girl just two months after his tragic death.</p> <p dir="ltr">Madison Tougher gave birth to their daughter, Lily-Mae Stevie Tougher, on Thursday.</p> <p dir="ltr">NSW ambulance announced the “ray of sunshine” on Madison’s behalf and also revealed that the baby girl weighed 4.1 kg and measured 48 cm in length.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Madison Tougher has asked us to announce the arrival of her and Steven’s daughter, Lily-Mae Stevie Tougher,” NSW Ambulance shared on Facebook.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Madison and Lily-Mae, and big brother Kobi, are doing well and the extended family is very excited,” they added.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Madison reports her labour and birth were peaceful and calm, just like Steven’s personality.</p> <p dir="ltr">“She has respectfully requested privacy at this time and asks not be contacted by media.”</p> <p dir="ltr">They also confirmed that a picture of Lily-May will be shared at a later date.</p> <p dir="ltr">Many have shared their well-wishes for Madison in the comment section of the post shared by NSW ambulance.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Congratulations on the birth of your little one , I’m sure Steven will always be there watching over you all. 🧡” wrote one person.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Congratulations and welcome to the world Lilly-Mae Stevie. What a special name for a special girl. Her daddy will always be watching over her and the family. Love to Madison at this bitter-sweet time,” commented another.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Congratulations to Madison and her family. Kudos to NSW Ambulance for such a respectful and beautiful announcement,” wrote a third.</p> <p dir="ltr">Steven passed away in mid-April after he was allegedly stabbed while on a break outside of a McDonalds in Campbelltown</p> <p dir="ltr">The 29-year-old paramedic was reportedly about to go on paternity leave and was finishing off paperwork in the ambulance when the incident occurred.</p> <p dir="ltr">21-year-old Jordan Fineanganofo was subsequently tasered and arrested, and is due to face court later this month.</p> <p dir="ltr">Steven was posthumously awarded a National Medal of Service and a NSW Ambulance Long Service and Good Conduct Medal at his funeral.</p> <p><em>Image: Facebook</em></p>

Family & Pets

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Paramedic shares surprising croup candle hack

<p>For people all over, winter is the prime time for catching an unwanted cold, or feeling the brunt of a chest cough - especially in the young and old. </p> <p>But for those little ones prone to the likes of croup and other respiratory illnesses, one former paramedic and mother-of-two has shared her best bit of advice for helping those kids. </p> <p>Nikki Jurcutz, who is also CEO of the child safety organisation Tiny Hearts Education, has taken to social media to demonstrate her favourite ‘hack’ for calming a child who is having difficulty breathing. </p> <p>As Nikki explained, croup season had hit, and she had previously shared this trick a good number of times throughout her career as a paramedic.</p> <p>She went on to share that her own child is prone to croup, and that it can make sufferers “feel like they’re suffocating”, while “the more distressed and upset your child becomes, the worse the symptoms of respiratory distress become."</p> <p>“The best thing,” she explained, “[that] we can do as parents is try to keep them calm, and distract them, so we can slow their breathing down.” </p> <p>And after an audio clip of her son breathing before and after applying her unique technique - in which his breaths go from laboured to relaxed - she revealed that “if I hadn't of used this technique, we probably would have been calling an ambulance."</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/Csa6V0NtTGq/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/Csa6V0NtTGq/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Tiny Hearts (@tinyheartseducation)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Parents in her comments were grateful for the advice, with many reaching out to thank her, and others noting that they’d tried similar techniques with good results, while sharing their own for everyone else to see. </p> <p>“We do this too but with my hand pretending it’s five candles and she has to blow each one out (so I pop a finger down each time),” one wrote. “We also do it while she is using the spacer/ventolin to really encourage each inhale.”</p> <p>“Amazing, also blowing bubbles helps. I learnt yesterday when my baby needed physio,” another said. </p> <p>“Smell the roses then blow out the candles, one of my most used lines for cardiorespiratory patients,” one user shared. </p> <p>And as one other said, “Homeopathic remedy - spongia. It completely changed my child’s cough from can’t breathe to totally manageable. I would highly recommend a consult with a homeopath if you have a child who gets this recurrently because it would make such a big difference and reduce hospital visits”.</p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

Caring

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Paramedic who attended fatal accident did not realise it was her own daughter

<p><strong><em>WARNING: Distressing content</em></strong></p> <p>A paramedic who unknowingly responded to a serious car crash, involving her own daughter has publicly spoken out about the tragedy.</p> <p>Jayme Erickson from Alberta, Canada was dispatched to a collision at 4:30 pm on November 15 and tended to two injured patients.</p> <p>One of the patients was critically injured and trapped inside a vehicle.</p> <p>In a Facebook post, Erickson explained she tended to the critically injured person trying to free them from the wreckage.</p> <p>Once the air ambulance arrived and took over, Erickson’s shift was done for the day and she went home. However, once she walked through the door, she received the life changing news that her daughter was involved in an accident.</p> <p>“The Royal Canadian Mountain Police were at my door to inform me that my daughter had been in an accident,” Erickson wrote.</p> <p>“The critically injured patient I had just attended to was my own flesh and blood. My only child. My mini-me. My daughter, Montana.”</p> <p>Erickson said she had not recognised the patient as her own daughter because of the horrific nature of her injuries.</p> <p>She rushed to hospital where she was told her 17-year-old would not make it.</p> <p>“I will cherish the memories we made and the time we had together. I am shattered. I am broken. I am missing a piece of me. I am left to pick up the pieces and expected to carry on,” Erickson wrote.</p> <p>Erickson fronted the media on Wednesday, a week after the crash, alongside her co-workers and friends and family.</p> <p>Speaking about her unimaginable loss, several colleagues comforted Erickson when she began to break down.</p> <p>“(Montana) meant the world to all of us,” she said.</p> <p>“This tragedy is not only felt here by this community, it’s felt throughout the province and maybe even the country.</p> <p>“I think every first responder can relate to the pain that we’re feeling. Nobody wants to go through anything like this.”</p> <p>Erickson described her daughter as a “firecracker” and a “fighter”.</p> <p>“She fought until the day she died,” she said.</p> <p>A fundraiser has been set up to help Montana’s parents as they try to navigate the world without their daughter.</p> <p><em>Image: Nine News</em></p> <p>A paramedic who unknowingly responded to a serious car crash, involving her own daughter has publicly spoken out about the tragedy.</p> <p>Jayme Erickson from Alberta, Canada was dispatched to a collision at 4:30 pm on November 15 and tended to two injured patients.</p> <p>One of the patients was critically injured and trapped inside a vehicle.</p> <p>In a Facebook post, Erickson explained she tended to the critically injured person trying to free them from the wreckage.</p> <p>Once the air ambulance arrived and took over, Erickson’s shift was done for the day and she went home. However, once she walked through the door, she received the life changing news that her daughter was involved in an accident.</p> <p>“The Royal Canadian Mountain Police were at my door to inform me that my daughter had been in an accident,” Erickson wrote.</p> <p>“The critically injured patient I had just attended to was my own flesh and blood. My only child. My mini-me. My daughter, Montana.”</p> <p>Erickson said she had not recognised the patient as her own daughter because of the horrific nature of her injuries.</p> <p>She rushed to hospital where she was told her 17-year-old would not make it.</p> <p>“I will cherish the memories we made and the time we had together. I am shattered. I am broken. I am missing a piece of me. I am left to pick up the pieces and expected to carry on,” Erickson wrote.</p> <p>Erickson fronted the media on Wednesday, a week after the crash, alongside her co-workers and friends and family.</p> <p>Speaking about her unimaginable loss, several colleagues comforted Erickson when she began to break down.</p> <p>“(Montana) meant the world to all of us,” she said.</p> <p>“This tragedy is not only felt here by this community, it’s felt throughout the province and maybe even the country.</p> <p>“I think every first responder can relate to the pain that we’re feeling. Nobody wants to go through anything like this.”</p> <p>Erickson described her daughter as a “firecracker” and a “fighter”.</p> <p>“She fought until the day she died,” she said.</p> <p>A fundraiser has been set up to help Montana’s parents as they try to navigate the world without their daughter.</p> <p><em>Image: Nine News</em></p>

Caring

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Young girl wants to be paramedic after saving own mum's life

<p dir="ltr">A nine-year-old girl has set her sights on becoming a paramedic after she performed lifesaving CPR on her mum with the help of an emergency dispatcher.</p> <p dir="ltr">When Charli Johnson’s mum, Sharon, fainted as a result of a viral infection while the pair were home alone in July, the young girl knew exactly what to do next.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I checked if she was awake and still breathing, and I went and called trip-0,” Charli said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I thought something was wrong so I knew what to do.”</p> <p dir="ltr">At the start of the call to the Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS), emergency medical dispatcher Anne Barklimore can be heard asking for Charli’s suburb and name, to which she replied, “Helensvale, Charli”.</p> <p dir="ltr">During the call, Charli told Ms Barklimore that her mum had stopped breathing.</p> <p dir="ltr">“She just kneeled to the ground and she just fainted,” Charli said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Is she awake?” Ms Barklimore asked.</p> <p dir="ltr">“No, I don’t think so. I think she just stopped breathing,” Charli said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Ms Barklimore then talked Charli through how to perform CPR, and the pair counted the pumps together.</p> <p dir="ltr">With Ms Barklimore’s guidance over the phone, Charli performed chest compressions on her mother for about 17 minutes.</p> <p dir="ltr">“One, two, three four - that’s the speed you’re going Charli. You’re doing a great job,” Ms Barklimore told Charli during the call.</p> <p dir="ltr">“You are doing such a good job Charli, and that you knew to call triple-0, I am so proud of you … and your mum is going to be so proud of you.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Ms Johnson can then be heard crying after regaining consciousness.</p> <p dir="ltr">Charli said that Ms Barklimore’s instructions were helpful, but that performing CPR was still a challenge, especially on her mum.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It was a bit scary, especially doing it on my mum,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Ms Barklimore said she recognised Charli was young from the first moment she heard her voice and praised her for her calm composure.</p> <p dir="ltr">“She answered the questions calmly and directly - that’s so important,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">"I was proud. As a mother, I just thought, 'She's nine and she doesn't know what's happened to her mum'. </p> <p dir="ltr">"She held it together. So many older people don't have that composure — it was quite surprising.</p> <p dir="ltr">“She saved her mum’s life that day.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Gavin Nichols, one of the first paramedics to arrive on the scene, said it was unusual to see a young person performing CPR on their mum, and that seeing a child know to call triple-0 and provide information clearly and directly was an important lesson for other families.</p> <p dir="ltr">“You don’t know when you’re going to have your emergency,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">"So it's really important to have your friends and family aware of what to do when that emergency happens."</p> <p dir="ltr">Charli was honoured for her bravery and composure by the QAS on Friday morning, receiving a teddy bear dressed in a paramedic uniform and an award.</p> <p dir="ltr">Her mum said she was “very proud” of her daughter, who says she now wants to be a paramedic so she can teach other kids how to do CPR.</p> <p dir="ltr">"I'm surprised Charli did what she did," Ms Johnson said.</p> <p dir="ltr">"We'd gone over our address, my phone number — we hadn't actually done it for a while, but she's obviously retained it.</p> <p dir="ltr">"She's a bit of a ratbag at home, so she did surprise me."</p> <p dir="ltr">To hear the full recording of Charli’s call to triple-0, head <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-19/nine-year-old-girl-saves-mums-life-on-triple-0-call/101350536" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-d0d848e6-7fff-bab6-64ab-9d5a98b1435d"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Twitter</em></p>

Caring

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"Devastating": Paramedic shares details as thousands of dollars raised for magpie fatality

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Queensland paramedics have shared harrowing details of the moment they were called to help baby Mia. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On Sunday, Brisbane mother Simone was out with her five-month-old daughter, when she tripped trying to avoid getting swooped by a magpie in a park. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Queensland Ambulance Service Clinical Support Officer Tom Holland was among those who responded to the accident to help. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“When we first got to the scene, obviously it was a really heightened and emotive scene,” he told reporters.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The little one was given the best pre-hospital care and was transported really quickly to the Queensland Children’s Hospital.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><img style="width: 391.2751677852349px; height: 500px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7843020/baby-mia.png" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/3ddad1ebc05c43e6a0ae9afa4945247b" /></span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image credit: GoFundMe</span></em></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It is believed Mia has been in a baby carrier at the time of the incident and suffered a "serious head injury".</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Despite the best efforts of the critical care team, the infant later died in hospital. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The parents and bystanders did a really fantastic job ... they allowed the little one to have the best possible chance,” Holland added.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A fundraising page for Mia's parents, set up by Mia's aunts, has already raised more than $69,000.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Mia’s arrival made (her parents) Jacob and Simone’s lives complete, they constantly doted over her, showered her with love, and shared her for all their loved ones to adore,” the organisers wrote.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“No words can begin to describe the torture Jacob and Simone are going through... A life cut so short, much sooner than any one of us expected."</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Brisbane City Standards Chair Kim Marx stated that an investigation has been launched into the devastating incident. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">She said, “This is an extremely tragic accident and our hearts go out to the family involved.”</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image credits: GoFundMe/Getty Images</span></em></p> <p> </p>

Caring

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Paramedic dragged down road in “rage car attack”

<p><span>A private paramedic is slowly recovering after suffering serious injuries from being dragged 40 metres down the road on a car bonnet.</span><br /><br /><span>The 54-year-old was carried on the bonnet of a Ford Falcon XR8 before he fell to the ground after he attempted to break up a fight between a man and a woman in Western Sydney.</span><br /><br /><span>He had intervened in a heated row between a 44-year-old man and a 32-year-old woman, who are known to each other, when the man returned to his vehicle and drove at him.</span><br /><br /><span>After the injured man fell from the vehicle, the driver sped off.</span><br /><br /><span>The man responsible is now facing a raft of serious charges over the alleged road rage attack.</span><br /><br /><span>Emergency services were called to assist the injured paramedic on a raceway at Eastern Creek around 3.15 pm yesterday.</span><br /><br /><span>The alleged victim was taken to Westmead Hospital where he remains in a serious but stable condition.</span><br /><br /><span>Police located his Ford sedan stopped on Ettalong Road in Greystanes and attempted to pull it over, but it took off.</span><br /><br /><span>Authorities attempted to chase the vehicle but had to call off the pursuit due to the car's manner of driving.</span><br /><br /><span>PolAir were called in to look for the car.</span><br /><br /><span>It was tracked to a car park on Distribution Road in Seven Hills.</span><br /><br /><span>The driver allegedly ran from the vehicle but was chased down by police and arrested.</span><br /><br /><span>He has now been charged with a range of serious offences, including stalk/intimidate intend fear physical harm, common assault, dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm and using an offensive weapon to prevent lawful detention.</span></p>

Legal

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Grandmother found dead by son after paramedics visited then left her alone

<p>A Hobart woman was found dead and decomposing by her son on the floor of her home but was last seen alive months earlier who left her alone in the house after a “bizarre” interaction.</p> <p>Findings were published on Tuesday and coroner Simon Cooper said it was difficult to understand why Kim Leonie Maree Szemes, 60, was left in the house that didn’t have hot water, lighting or power.</p> <p>Mrs Szemes, whose mental health was in a state of decline, died sometime between May 28th and October 8th 2018.</p> <p>Neighbours called police on May 28 after not seeing the mother-of-two in several weeks.</p> <p>Officers reportedly found Mrs Szemes underneath several blankets in bed wearing a beanie and noted she was incoherent and struggling to speak.</p> <p>An ambulance was called and officers left the house under the impression she would be taken to hospital.</p> <p>“However, the attending paramedics did not take Mrs Szemes to hospital,” Mr Cooper wrote.</p> <p>“Instead, because she asked them to leave, they left her in bed.”</p> <p>Ambulance Tasmania case records note Mrs Szemes was difficult to understand, had minimal fluid intake and was showing bizarre and irrational behaviour.</p> <p>Mr Cooper said it was “difficult to understand” why paramedics left, considering what was described in the case notes.</p> <p>Mrs Szemes had been living alone for four years and was not seen alive after paramedics left at 6:16pm.</p> <p>She was found dead on her bedroom floor by her adult son five months later, after he forced his way into her house.</p> <p>Mr Cooper said that there was no evidence of violence, assault or that Mrs Szemes’ death was due to suicide.</p>

Caring

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Paramedic bashed during charity ride holds no grudge against teen attackers

<p>Off-duty paramedic Daniel Mansbridge was seven kilometres into a 1000-kilometre charity ride for children’s cancer when he was pushed off his bicycle and beaten up by a group of teenagers on the south coast of New South Wales.</p> <p>The ambulance officer, who has 16 years’ experience was riding on the Windang Bridge, south of Wollongong when a teenager pushed him off his bike just after 11:00 am on Friday.</p> <p>According to Mr Mansbridge, he approached the teenager to inform him how dangerous his actions were and followed him down some stairs under the bridge.</p> <p>“His other two bigger mates saw me as a threat or something and started to punch me out, and when they finished I said to them I just wanted to have a word.”</p> <p>He is now dealing with bruising on his face and a fracture under his eyes that requires surgery.</p> <p>“I’m not going to hit kids,” said Mr Mansbridge, who went on to say that he finds it hard to understand what’s happening.</p> <p>“Bloody hell this isn’t good – they were just kids. I was shocked, I didn’t know what to do. I was just setting out for a big long ride and the next thing I know I was in the hospital.”</p> <p>He believes his attackers were also taken aback by the incident.</p> <p>“Afterwards, they actually went and got my bike and brought my bike down and made sure I was OK.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fabcillawarra%2Fposts%2F2569580803087757&amp;width=500" width="500" height="757" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe></p> <p>“They said they were sorry and felt bad and helped me gather my things.</p> <p>“It was very confusing,” he said.</p> <p>“I think once I said to them, I just want to have a chat about how silly it was, they might have realised they’d gone too far.</p> <p>“I think, to be honest, it started off with a kid showing off to his mates and this is the consequence.”</p> <p>Mr Mansbridge said he chose not to retaliate and doesn’t want the kids to be charged.</p> <p>“We all make mistakes … we can learn a lesson and just be a bit more tolerant of people and aware of the consequences of your actions.”</p> <p>Chief Inspector Terry Morrow from the NSW Ambulance Service said the attack was extremely disturbing.</p> <p>“We are really proud of Daniel and other people in our service, out there riding for the community to raise money for kids with cancer and these sort of things,” he said.</p> <p>“All of a sudden to have one of our officers randomly hit on his bike trying to do the right thing, to receive the injuries that he has sustained, we are appalled by the whole situation.”</p> <p>Mr Mansbridge said that once he recovers from the attack, he plans on completing the charity ride.</p>

Travel Trouble

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Paramedics shocked to find extremely rude note left on ambulance

<p>Paramedics are out there every day, saving lives, but according to one heartless driver, that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t follow the same road rules as the rest of us.</p> <p>Yesterday, the West Midlands Ambulance Service in the UK took to Twitter to share their disappointment after not one but two incidents of paramedics being told to move their ambulances to let drivers pass.</p> <p>“Just heard from one of our staff that two crews were treating a cardiac arrest patient today – the most serious case we can attend – and someone banged on the side of the ambulance asking them to move as they couldn’t get their car out!” the WMAS tweeted, adding that no matter what, patients come first.</p> <p>Sadly, it wasn’t the first such incident of the day. Hours earlier, while paramedics were desperately working to save a man’s life, a selfish homeowner left a disgraceful note on their vehicle.</p> <p><img width="500" height="333" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/45633/crew-alerted-an-extremely-poorly-patient-to-hospital-minimal-on-scene-time-arrived-at-hospital-t_500x333.jpg" alt="Crew -alerted -an -extremely -poorly -patient -to -hospital -minimal -on -scene -time -arrived -at -hospital -t" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p> <p>It reads, “You may be saving lives, but don’t park your van in a stupid place and block my drive."</p> <p>According to the ambulance crew, who had been treating a man vomiting blood, they were parked outside the Birmingham property for less than half an hour.</p> <p>“Sometimes we just don’t know quite what to say,” the WMAS said. “Our staff will always try and park considerately, but sometimes, there just isn’t time.”</p> <p>Both cases have outraged social media users, describing the people responsible as “disgusting", “selfish” and “narrow-minded”.</p> <p>Tell us in the comments below, what do you think about the note? Is it ever acceptable to berate emergency services like this?</p>

Insurance

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Paramedic bride responds to car accident in wedding dress

<p>As reported by Nashville’s News Channel 5, a bride who works as a paramedic responded to a car accident just minutes after saying her vows.</p><p>Sarah Ray just finished marrying her husband, Paul – also a paramedic – and the pair were on the way to their reception when they were interrupted by disturbing news: Sarah Ray’s father and grandparents were involved in a car crash near the church at which they wed.</p><p>Being both paramedics and family, Ray and her husband responded to the news, heading to the scene for help, not even stopping to take off Ray’s wedding dress.</p><p>"Anybody in the EMS field would've done the same thing," Ray told News Channel 5. "I don't know if what I did was special but I was in a wedding dress."</p><p>Ray’s family survived the crash, coming away with only minor injuries and a great story of their fearless (grand)daughter on her wedding day.</p><p><strong>Related links:</strong></p><p><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="/lifestyle/family/2015/08/do-families-eat-dinner-together/">Do families still eat dinner together?</a></strong></span></em></p><p><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="/lifestyle/family/2015/07/iconic-australian-ads/">Old-school Aussie ads that you just have to watch</a></strong></span></em></p><p><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="/lifestyle/family/2015/07/important-to-share-memories-grandkids/">Why it’s imperative to share your memories with grandchildren</a></strong></span></em></p>

News

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Paramedic bride responds to car accident in wedding dress

<p>As reported by Nashville’s News Channel 5, a bride who works as a paramedic responded to a car accident just minutes after saying her vows.</p><p>Sarah Ray just finished marrying her husband, Paul – also a paramedic – and the pair were on the way to their reception when they were interrupted by disturbing news: Sarah Ray’s father and grandparents were involved in a car crash near the church at which they wed.</p><p>Being both paramedics and family, Ray and her husband responded to the news, heading to the scene for help, not even stopping to take off Ray’s wedding dress.</p><p>"Anybody in the EMS field would've done the same thing," Ray told News Channel 5. "I don't know if what I did was special but I was in a wedding dress."</p><p>Ray’s family survived the crash, coming away with only minor injuries and a great story of their fearless (grand)daughter on her wedding day.</p><p><strong>Related links:</strong></p><p><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="/lifestyle/family/2015/08/do-families-eat-dinner-together/">Do families still eat dinner together?</a></strong></span></em></p><p><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="/lifestyle/family/2015/07/iconic-australian-ads/">Old-school Aussie ads that you just have to watch</a></strong></span></em></p><p><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="/lifestyle/family/2015/07/important-to-share-memories-grandkids/">Why it’s imperative to share your memories with grandchildren</a></strong></span></em></p>

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