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Members of the public had to come to the aid of two female paramedics who were set upon in an alleged assault in Mornington on Saturday morning.
A veteran paramedic was hospitalised after she was allegedly kicked in the stomach by a 58-year-old Seaford man during the random attack about 11.30am, which also left her colleague – only a few months into the job – shaken.
Ambulance Victoria Union secretary Danny Hill says there is an assault on a paramedic every 50 hours.Credit: Scott McNaughton
The paramedics were walking along Main Street in Mornington when they tried to de-escalate a dispute between the 58-year-old and another person. This prompted him to cross the road and allegedly attack the pair, kicking the senior paramedic in stomach. She was being assessed in hospital on Saturday.
Members of the public who witnessed the alleged assault came to the aid of the emergency services workers. The alleged offender was arrested by police.
Ambulance Victoria Union secretary Danny Hill said the incident was both “devastating” and “disgusting”.
“Both [paramedics] are incredibly shaken following the event,” he said.
The 58-year-old was charged with assaulting an emergency worker, recklessly causing injury, making threats to kill, possessing a controlled weapon, and unlawful assault, plus additional counts, a Victoria Police spokesperson said.
Victorian Ambulance Union secretary Danny Hill.Credit: Luis Enrique Ascui
Police will apply to have him remanded this evening.
Ambulance Victoria acting executive director regional operations Michael Georgiou said: “We are providing every support to our paramedics following this frightening incident.
“Our people come to work to care for the community, they should never be threatened or assaulted while simply doing their job.”
Hill said incidents like Saturday morning’s alleged assault were “so, so common”, and that there was an assault on a paramedic every 50 hours.
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“The sad thing is for a lot of members, the physical injuries heal but there are many paramedics who are off for months if not years, and some never return to work, because they’re just so frightened to walk into other houses or other locations because they fear another assault,” said Hill.
Georgiou said: “Violence against healthcare workers is never acceptable and will never be tolerated.”
More to come
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