Paramedic at fatal crash didn’t realize she was trying to rescue her own daughter
By Mike-Ross
Canadian paramedic Jayme Erickson was the primary first responder for a fatal car accident that would change her life forever. The victim was a teenage girl who was badly burned. The injuries were so severe that even her own mother could not recognize her.
The experienced paramedic fought to keep the injured teen alive and was able to stabilize her enough to be moved from the vehicle. The victim was taken to Calgary’s Foothills Medical Centre in critical condition. She later died from her injuries.
Jayme had no idea it who the victim was until she returned home and was met by Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers who delivered the soul-crushing news. The victim was Jayme’s daughter, Montana.
She shared the news with the public a few days later.
“The critically injured patient I had just attended to, was my own flesh and blood. My only child. My mini-me. My daughter, Montana,” she wrote.
“Her injures were so horrific I did not even recognize her. I was taken to FMC to see my baby girl, and was informed her injuries were not compatible with life.” She said her family was “overwhelmed with grief and absolutely gutted.”
“The pain I am feeling is like no pain I have ever felt, it is indescribable,” Erickson wrote.
“Although I am thankful for the 17 years I had with her, I am shattered and left wondering. What would you have become my baby girl? Who would you have been? I will never see you graduate and walk across the stage, I will never see you get married, I will never know who you would have been,” she added.
Fellow paramedic and family spokesperson Richard Reed spoke about the accident during a press conference. He announced that Montana and a friend were traveling home after visiting a dog park when they were struck by an oncoming vehicle that entered their lane of traffic.
“Despite being a cold evening, Jayme stayed in the vehicle for over 20 minutes, ensuring the patient’s C-spine was stable and that her airway was clear,” Reed said. “Jayme unknowingly was keeping her own daughter alive. As both a parent and a first responder, I can tell you, this is beyond a nightmare.”
“Anybody who knew Montana, they’d call her a firecracker,” Jayme said. “She would love fiercely if you were her friend. She would love you to the end of the world and back, and she would do anything for you.”
Montana was a competitive swimmer who dreamed of one day becoming a lawyer. She was also an organ donor and was able to save the lives of two strangers with her donations.
“In the wake of this tragedy, she has saved other people. We know it’s what she would have wanted and we are so proud of her. And we’re going to miss her very, very much,” Jayme said.
Watch a portion of the press conference in the video below.
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