Tragedy as paramedic is killed in an ambulance crash while on his way to save a critically injured patient
- A paramedic has died in a horror car crash on his way to a Code 1 emergency
- The 32-year-old’s ambulance careered off the road, rolled and then hit a tree
- Emergency crews desperately tried to revive him, but he died from his injuries
- The victim was the only person in the ambulance at the time of the crash
A paramedic has tragically died after his ambulance careered off the road and slammed into a tree on his way to a Code 1 emergency.
The 32-year-old man was driving along Queensland’s Mackay-Eungella Road, about 20km west of Mackay, at 8am Monday.
The paramedic was the only person in the ambulance and was attending to a ‘lights and sirens’ call.
A paramedic has died when an ambulance hurtled off the road, rolled and slammed into a tree
The ambulance rolled several times before it hit the tree, where the horrific wreckage remained.
A Queensland Ambulance Service spokesman described the paramedic’s death as a cruel tragedy.
‘He was going to help someone that was in need… it’s very sad,’ he told news.com.au.
The man’s paramedic co-workers were the first responders at the crash but were unable to resuscitate him.
Those driving in the area said the visibility on the roads was ‘non-existant’.
‘The rain was heavy and visibility wasn’t good at all, sheets of water everywhere and the most dangerous thing is people speeding and not driving with there (sic) lights on and you can’t see them,’ one local wrote online.
The paramedic was responding to a Code 1 emergency when he left the road (stock image)
The QAS Legacy Scheme wrote in a Facebook post it would offer support to the paramedic’s family.
‘With deep regret we have been notified of the death of a QAS officer while responding to a case this morning.
‘We will be contacting the family at an appropriate time to offer the support of the QAS Legacy Scheme.’
Acting Deputy Commissioner Gerard Lawler of the Queensland Ambulance Service will front the media at 4pm local time.