Paramedic Lauded for Quick Response at Accident Scene

A quick and cool-headed response by an off-duty Essex-Windsor EMS paramedic likely saved a motor vehicle accident victim from being paralyzed.

Paramedic Mason Whitaker has been presented with a Meritorious Service Coin by Chief Bruce Krauter and recognized for her “exceptional display of courage, dedication and quick action.”

Whitaker, who has been a paramedic for four years, was on her way home from work the morning of Aug. 6 when she came upon a single-vehicle accident at the intersection of Highway 401 and Highway 77. She asked a bystander, who was directing traffic, what had happened.

“They told me someone was trapped, so I got out and went to assist,” Whitaker said. Other bystanders were with the injured woman and wanted to get her out of the damaged vehicle. Whitaker told them not to move her. Then she got into the vehicle, provided first aid to the bleeding woman and immobilized her neck while waiting for the responding paramedics to arrive.

The woman was transported to the Ouellette campus of Windsor Regional Hospital. The trauma physician who treated her later contacted Essex-Windsor EMS to praise Whitaker’s actions, saying she prevented further injury to the woman’s spine that could have left her a paraplegic or quadriplegic, Krauter said.

The OPP officer who investigated the accident sent a statement to Essex-Windsor EMS complimenting Whitaker’s actions, and the woman’s family called to express their gratitude.

“Your remarkable ability to assess the situation promptly and execute the necessary measures truly set a standard for professional excellence and service,” Krauter said in a letter of thanks and commendation to Whitaker. He called her efforts selfless and heroic, and applauded her for her decisive actions.

“Your dedication to preserving life during this incident is a testament to your unwavering commitment to the principles and values of Essex-Windsor EMS,” he said.