Off-duty paramedics jump into action

By IAN ROBERTSON, Toronto Sun

In a twist on the old saying “where is there a cop when you need one,” five off-duty Toronto paramedics stopped to help after a collision between a van and a tractor-trailer Friday.

Minutes later, the tractor-trailer burst into flames, said paramedic Rob Gillman who along with his four colleagues was en route to work when they came to the crash on Hwy. 401 around 6:30 a.m. Three of the paramedics were travelling alone in their vehicles, the other two were sharing a ride.

“Within 10 minutes, it was fully engulfed,” the 17-year veteran told The Sun.

The Whitby resident spotted fellow paramedic Jason Hess helping a man sitting on a barrier near his damaged van, and stopped to help.

“I didn’t have my uniform on, but Jason did, so I stayed with the guy while he went to help the driver of the truck,” Gillman said.

The trucker, who suffered a broken leg, had climbed out of his rig safely about 500 metres behind the van.

As eastbound traffic slowed during the drama, the other three paramedics heading to work, Norm Gray, Glynn James and Mike Wilson, pulled over and climbed the median barrier to render assistance before colleagues in ambulances joined police and firefighters.

“I saw smoke coming from it when I stopped,” Gillman said in an interview, recognizing from long experience the potential danger that can — and did — erupt.

The resulting inferno melted the top of the rig’s trailer and the fibreglass tractor cab.

“Things change on the drop of a dime and can get quite volatile,” he said.

Adding to the risk was that they lacked protective gear, “which is always a concern. If you’re hurt, you’re no use to anyone else.

“But when you see somebody hurt, sitting on the side of the highway, you want to help … it’s what we do,” he said after suiting up for the 7 a.m. start to his 12-hour shift.

Gillman has stopped to help at other accidents while off-duty, “but they don’t happen as frequently as you might think.”

Paramedics risk their safety and lives daily, but “don’t like to be called heroes,” Emergency medical services spokesman Kim McKinnon said. “They’re often unsung heroes.”

The trucker was driven to a hospital by on-duty paramedics. The van driver suffered a minor head injury.

Ontario Provincial Police are investigating the crash, which required the express lanes to be shut down for a portion of the morning rush hour.