BRISBANE, Australia — A Gold Coast paramedic has significant facial injuries after being attacked by a patient in the back of the ambulance.
The assault happened on the way to the hospital. The Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) shared photos of the injured medic on its Facebook page. “We are seething about this disgusting anti-social behavior, which is becoming more common in our community,” the QAS post read.
The statement promises legal action against any person that assaults a paramedic.
“We will not tolerate paramedics being attacked and we promise anyone who tries it will feel the full force of the law,” the QAS wrote in its statement.
The QAS called on its community to help raise awareness about the issue of violence against paramedics, health care workers, and other emergency services personnel. The QAS asked readers to denounce the violence and share the photos of the injured medic, which have been shared more than 128,000 times.
“It (violence) is not acceptable in a modern civilized society and it needs to stop,” said the QAS.
The Gold Coast Bulletin reported that the attacker has been charged with common assault and serious assault of a public officer.