‘Palpable void’ felt among P.E.I health-care workers after fatal ambulance crash

Two paramedics and a patient who died in a highway crash in New Brunswick are being mourned.

Only one day after the tragic crash between an ambulance and a transport truck near the Confederation Bridge, a noticeable void is felt within the health-care system.

Dr. Trevor Jain, an emergency physician at Charlottetown’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital, says there is a “palpable sadness… a palpable void” that was felt on Wednesday.

“Our hearts and our thoughts go out to our colleagues, family and friends of two amazing paramedics that have left a void in our system that we felt today – and to the family and friends of the patient that was also tragically killed in this accident,” Jain says.

Members of the Sackville RCMP detachment responded to the two-vehicle crash on Route 16 in Melrose, N.B., roughly 10 minutes from the Confederation Bridge, around 9:10 a.m. Tuesday.

“The collision is believed to have occurred when the driver of an ambulance was travelling west bound and collided head-on with a transport truck,” said the RCMP in a news release Tuesday afternoon.

The driver of the ambulance, a 56-year-old man from Warren Grove, P.E.I., and his two passengers, a 77-year-old woman from Montague, P.E.I., and a 23-year-old woman from Nine Mile Creek, P.E.I., all died at the scene.

The driver of the transport truck was taken to hospital with serious, but non-life-threatening injuries.

“P.E.I. is so close-knit that they’re part of the Island family,” Jain says. “When we lose three Islanders in something like this, it affects everybody.”

It’s particularly challenging for a profession that can’t shut down as whole to grieve.

Jain says while that void is felt, other paramedics continued showing up and responding to Islanders in need on Wednesday.

Since the crash, tributes have been pouring in.

“Both of the paramedics on Prince Edward Island that lost their lives were great paramedics,” says Jason Woodbury, president of CUPE Local 3324. “They were community-oriented, they loved their job, and they loved to help the folks that they served.”

An agreement has been reached for expedited licensing to allow paramedics from neighbouring New Brunswick to backfill for colleagues in P.E.I.

Nova Scotia and other provinces are also reaching out, offering help, says Woodbury.

“We understand the need for these individuals in P.E.I. to have time off to deal with the issue and grieve,” says Chris Hood, executive director of the Paramedic Association of New Brunswick. “These are traumatic events that are going to stay with them for long periods of time.”

Hood says his first thoughts were with the victims’ families and friends, and those who responded to the scene.

“You also think about how fragile life is and how fragile and how at-risk the public safety professions are,” he says.

Hood says it’s important for the public to be supportive of paramedics after seeing some saying they’re dreading going to work because they may be asked about what happened.

On Wednesday, a New Brunswick RCMP spokesperson told CTV News Atlantic there is no update on the investigation into the crash.

Island EMS says they’re thinking of the two “dedicated paramedics” who lost their lives.

“Our thoughts are with the families, friends, colleagues and communities mourning this tragedy,” says James Orchard, general manager and paramedic chief for Island EMS.

“The impact of this loss will be felt for a long time to come,” he says. “We are also holding the driver of the other vehicle involved in the collision in our thoughts as they face the aftermath of this tragic event.”

Island EMS is thanking paramedics from around the Maritimes and says they’ve felt support from across the country.

-With files from CTV News Atlantic’s Andrea Jerrett

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