CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — A Canadian paramedic who unknowingly treated his daughter after a fatal car crash wiped away tears as he remembered a beautiful girl who fought to the end.
Jayme Erickson was called to the crash north of Calgary on Nov. 15 and sat down with a seriously injured girl who was pulled from the car and taken to hospital, where she died. He was unrecognizable due to his injuries.
It wasn’t until Erickson arrived home late in the day that she was met by officers from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, who told her the patient was her 17-year-old daughter, Montana.
Erickson shared her grief with reporters Tuesday night, describing her daughter as successful in everything she set her mind to, an avid swimmer who aspired to become a lawyer.
via the Associated Press
“She was a fighter and she fought until the day she died and she was beautiful. She was so beautiful. If she ever put her mind to something, she would always succeed,” Erickson said in an Airdrie fire hall, with family, paramedics, police officers and firefighters standing behind her in support.
Richard Reed, a friend and flight paramedic, broke down several times as he recounted Erickson witnessing a car go out of control and be hit by an oncoming truck.
Reed said the driver was able to get out of the car, but the female passenger was trapped with serious injuries. Erickson was the first person on the scene. He said Erickson knew the girl was in trouble and stayed there until she was evacuated and taken to the hospital by air ambulance, still not knowing who she was.
“On her return, she expressed her pain and frustration to her partner, knowing that later a family would lose their daughter, sister and nephew. Shortly after I got home, there was a knock on the door. It was the RCMP,” Reed said.
“Walking into the room, to his horror he found the girl he was sitting with in the back of the vehicle crumpled on life support so the family could say goodbye and due to the extent of her injuries she was unrecognizable, it was Jayme . daughter,” he added. “Jayme was keeping her daughter alive without knowing it.”
I’m a passionate and motivated journalist with a focus on world news. My experience spans across various media outlets, including Buna Times where I serve as an author. Over the years, I have become well-versed in researching and reporting on global topics, ranging from international politics to current events.