Paramedic attacked by patient on call out

A FEMALE paramedic has been struck in the face and kicked in Trillick, Co Tyrone, by a woman who had called for her crew’s assistance moments earlier.

The Ambulance Service said the crew were responding to a 999 call and had sought to do “nothing more than help an individual in need”.

“During assessment and initial treatment the patient struck out at one of the female crew striking her on the face and also kicking her. The second member of the crew, who was also female, attempted to intervene to prevent the patient from damaging equipment and, as a result, sustained an arm injury,” a spokesman said.

Both crew members were unable to continue their shift meaning that the rural area in and around Enniskillen was left with reduced cover between 11pm and 8am this morning with only one crew remaining to cope with calls in the area. The spokesman added that there are assaults on their crews on “an almost daily basis”.