The incident comes on the back of an upsurge in attacks on emergency medical services personnel in recent weeks, bringing the safety of medics into the national spotlight. ER24 spokesperson, Russel Meiring, says the alleged attack occurred after the medics attended to an accident involving a bakkie which had crashed through a fence and into a residence located in Paul Street. Meiring says the assailant is believed to be the father of the driver of the bakkie.

 “A man, believed to have been in his 20s, was found lying trapped inside the vehicle. Provincial Fire Services had to stabilise the residential structure before they could extricate the man from the vehicle. Once freed, the man was treated for his injuries and thereafter transported to a nearby hospital for further care. While on route to the hospital, the father of the patient, who was seated in the front passenger seat of the ambulance, without warning punched the ER24 medic in the face and immediately attempted to grab the steering wheel. Using the situational and self-awareness training received from ER24, the medic was able to defend himself from further attacks by managing to pull the vehicle over safely and remove himself from the situation”.

After failing to gain control of the ambulance, the suspect is reported to have gotten out of the vehicle and jumped into a second bakkie, which was following the ambulance to the hospital, leaving his injured son behind.

OFM News