Paramedics lined the streets today for the funeral of a trainee who was killed just two weeks after landing a role in the ambulance service.
Alice Clark, 21, died following a collision between an ambulance and a Volvo cement tanker in Kent at 8.16pm on January 5.
She was pronounced dead at the scene after the ambulance smashed into the back the tanker in a layby.
Alice, of Newington, Sittingbourne, had only joined South East Coast Ambulance Service (Secamb) in November.
Hundreds of people lined the streets today in Alice's memory and members of Seacamb formed a guard of honour as the hearse made its journey today to the Garden of England Crematorium in Bobbing.
Alice was in the passenger seat of the ambulance when it hit the kerb while heading to an emergency on blue lights.
The vehicle bounced off a parked lorry before embedding itself in the back of the cement tanker, MailOnline reports.
Alice was cut free from the front passenger seat by Kent Fire and Rescue Service but was declared dead at 9.42pm.
The lorry driver was airlifted to hospital with life-threatening injuries and a third paramedic suffered severe concussion.
Alice's heartbroken parents described her as a "beautiful, kind and fun loving" girl, who had graduated from the University of Greenwich.
In a tribute shortly after her death, they added: "Alice was so excited to qualify as a paramedic and looked forward to every shift.
"She was a beautiful, kind, fun loving daughter, sister and granddaughter. She loved to travel and anyone who met her loved her.
"She will be missed more than words can say by family and friends. We would ask for privacy at this very sad and tragic time for us."
Her colleagues and mentors from London Ambulance Service attended to pay their respects today along with representatives from the fire service, two motorcycle ambulances, an ambulance and even a helicopter from Kent, Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance, Kent Online reports.
It began to rain heavily as people waited at the roadside for the funeral cortege to pass, leading one colleague to comment: "It's as if God is crying himself."
Giovanni Mazza, manager for the Paddock Wood Operating Unit in Kent where Miss Clark was based, said: "Although she had only been with us for a short time, Alice was already very much part of our ambulance family and will be remembered as a kind and dedicated paramedic.
"She will be deeply and sadly missed by her colleagues and we're sending our love and prayers to her family and friends during this horrendous time."
SECAmb Executive Director of Operations Emma Williams said: "We are deeply saddened by the loss of our colleague and our heart-felt sympathies go to her family, friends and colleagues at this very difficult time.
"Our thoughts are also with the other injured staff members as well as all of those who responded to the incident.
"We are supporting the police in their enquiries and would urge anyone who may have witnessed the incident to contact them."
An inquest into her death last month tried to piece together the circumstances around her death, including using specialist laser scanners to try and recreate what happened.
The coroner's clerk Richard Smith said: "For reasons unknown the vehicle took the slip road to the lay-by instead of the next exit towards the Morley Road roundabout.
"The impact caused the ambulance to become embedded into the rear of the tanker trapping both the driver and front-seat passenger who was Miss Clark."
