An off-duty police officer and a paramedic who were first on the scene following a serious collision on the A1 in Northumberland have been praised.
Just after 11.15am on Tuesday (June 13), an officer from Northumbria Police was travelling on the A1 near Belford when she came across a collision involving a car and a road worker.
Despite not being on duty, the PC immediately called for backup, medical assistance and organised a cordon around the area.
She also began the process of collecting witness details and accounts of the collision, remaining on scene until her on-duty colleagues arrived.
She was also assisted by an off-duty paramedic from North East Ambulance Service(NEAS), who offered medical assistance.
Within minutes, emergency services were on scene to take over.
The road worker, a 26-year-old man, was taken to hospital by air ambulance with serious and potentially life-changing injuries. He remains in hospital.
Chief Inspector Phillip Mcconville said: “This was clearly a very serious incident and our thoughts are with the man’s family at this awful time.
“It was fortunate that two off-duty professionals were on the scene and assisting within seconds, and I would like to commend both for their outstanding dedication and service.
“Anyone who joins an organisation such as police or the ambulance service do so because they want to help people, and it’s very clear that passion remains as strong even when they are not at work.
“This is another example of how effective and established our partnerships are in this region.
“A massive thank you to everyone who played their part in the response to this incident. It is hugely appreciated.”
NEAS head of operations in the north, Claire Jobling, added: “On behalf of our two services and this patient, I’d like to thank both workers for stopping to assist in their own time.
“Having people support a patient whilst our resources are travelling to help is a huge support to us and our patients.
“The skills and experience of these two will have no doubt made the experience far less scary for those at the scene, whilst being a huge help to those crews arriving afterwards.”
A 68-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and has since been released under investigation. Enquiries are ongoing.
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