Maritimers gather along N.B. and P.E.I. highways to honour paramedics killed in crash

Two paramedics and a patient who died in a crash have been brought back to P.E.I.

People are gathering along Maritime highways Friday afternoon for a procession honouring two Island EMS paramedics who died in an ambulance crash this week as a coroner’s van transports their bodies from New Brunswick to P.E.I.

The procession for Mike MacKenzie and Jenna Croucher started at the Irving Big Stop gas station on Highway 1 near Rothesay, N.B., at 1 p.m. It continued throughout New Brunswick, crossed the Confederation Bridge, and is expected to arrive at the Dingwell Funeral Home in Souris, P.E.I., around 6:35 p.m.

Atlantic 911 Ride, a non-profit organization that supports first responders, organized Friday’s procession.

“We have several fire departments that are going to be lined up on the exits on the route. The RCMP, Codiac RCMP are going to do an honour guard on the Caledonia exit,” said Darrell Coffin, president with Atlantic 911 Ride.

“Then as they proceed to the P.E.I. bridge where the accident occurred, the actual fire department that took place in that event, they’re going to have a fire truck at the scene with the lights going for the procession.”

Coffin said MacKenzie and Croucher were both valued members of the Atlantic 911 Ride family and had supported their events.

“Mike McKenzie, I can’t say enough about that gentleman. He’s been great, he’s been a part of us for every year that we started this ride,” said Coffin.

“We do different functions through the summer, and we were just talking last week, looking forward to start doing a Christmas parade at the Twin Shores camping area. He was he was a pleasure to have and always wanted to be involved in the community, and he’s a huge staple for the Island EMS.”

Croucher’s father, P.E.I. Education Minister Robin Croucher, said he would lead part of the procession of vehicles, including fire trucks, as his daughter’s body is returned to the Island from a hospital in Saint John, N.B.

MacKenzie, 56, and Croucher, 23, were killed along with a 77-year-old female patient, when their ambulance collided with a transport truck on Route 16 in Melrose, N.B., near the Confederation Bridge Tuesday morning. MacKenzie was driving the ambulance at the time.

The patient’s name has not been released publicly.

A full timeline for Friday’s procession can be found here.

‘It’s just unbelievable’

Ellen MacLennan, who works in a cardiac catheterization lab at the Saint John Regional Hospital, was among those who paid tribute to the paramedics on Friday.

“We are very upset over the ordeal. I can’t believe it happened, especially to those two good paramedics,” said MacLennan, who noted she saw MacKenzie and Croucher about once a week.

“It’s just unbelievable.”

MacLennan recalled a day when MacKenzie brought hospital staff potato chips and raspberry drinks from P.E.I.’s Cows ice cream shop.

“He was just always giving the extra going extra mile for us,” she said. “And Jenna always walked down the hallway with a bright smile and that ginger hair of hers. Always nice to see those people.”

Phil Comeau, a paramedic in Saint John, also attended the procession. He said colleagues have been leaning on one another for support.

“We are a unique group of individuals and we all stick together,” said Comeau.

Pat Madsen, a paramedic in Grand Bay-Westfield, N.B., said all paramedics across the region are feeling the loss, even if they didn’t know the pair.

“We all take that very personally and especially considering the circumstances by which they lost their lives,” said Madsen. “It’s a regular part of this job driving the ambulance on our city streets and our highways, and when you think about how quickly something like that can happen, it’s a hard pill to swallow.”

Paramedics in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia have volunteered to backfill paramedic roles on the Island so their P.E.I. counterparts can attend any funerals or other services.

Paramedics remembered as bright lights

Robin Croucher is remembering his daughter as a loving person and trusted coworker.

He said she was a “rare beacon of light” who had the ability to connect with people of all ages and backgrounds.

“It wouldn’t matter if it was a crowd of dignitaries or if it was a homeless person on the street, she could find a connection,” Robin Croucher, who once worked as a paramedic, said in an interview.

“That’s just what made her so special.”

He described his daughter as a protective “mother hen” to her younger siblings and said she had been planning a September wedding with her fiancée Morgan Roggeveen.

“She cherished all those small things in life that takes us 40 to 50 years to figure out ... and never missed an opportunity to just stop, pause, take it all in and appreciate it,” said the education minister.

Meanwhile, the IWK Foundation is remembering MacKenzie as “a bright light in this world.”

The foundation released a statement Thursday about MacKenzie, who served as the chair of the volunteer IWK Telethon operations committee on P.E.I. for 15 years.

“We are deeply saddened by the passing of our friend Mike MacKenzie,” said the IWK Foundation. “He was kind. He was funny. He was always cheerful, always positive, and ever passionate about improving healthcare for children in his community.”

“As a first responder, Mike was beloved by his colleagues. He was an incredible paramedic with a heart to serve and help others,” it added.

A GoFundMe to support the MacKenzie and Croucher families had raised more than $70,000 as of noon Friday. The Atlantic 911 Ride Foundation created the fundraiser in partnership with Island EMS.

“All funds raised through this campaign will go toward helping the families with funeral expenses, immediate financial needs, and other essential costs as they begin to navigate life without their loved ones,” said the organization.

With files from CTV News Atlantic’s Avery MacRae and The Canadian Press

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