Two doctors and a paramedic were lucky to escape unscathed after a brick was thrown at their car while responding to reports of an assault.
The rapid response road unit from Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) were on hand to assess a patient at Trimdon railway station, Durham, on November 5, who was taken to hospital by another ambulance service for further treatment, before they came under attack.
The GNAAS unit were heading back to base at roughly 7.40pm when a brick was thrown at the window of their response car - though the door took the brunt of the heavy impact, protecting the doctor sat in the passenger seat.
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"The bang it made was pretty terrifying but thankfully we were all okay,” said GNAAS paramedic Jamie Walsh. “Luckily it didn’t hit the centre of the window where our doctor was sitting as it would have come through and could have caused catastrophic injuries.”
“ North East Ambulance Service ’s vehicle was also targeted and they had a brick thrown at their bonnet. This is not a common occurrence so we are very shocked and disappointed by the incident."
Thankfully there was no major damage to the GNAAS vehicle and it continued to operate for the remainder of the night.
The unnecessary damage will, however, need to be repaired and will come at a cost to the air ambulance at a time when cash is tight.
“In the current economic climate every penny counts more than ever, so it’s a shame that we will have to divert funds that are normally reserved for helping critically ill or injured people, towards fixing the damage of the car,” Jamie added.
Donations are vital to the continued operation of GNAAS, costing around £7.7 million each year to keep it running. It responded to 1,732 incidents last year, both in the air and on the ground.
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