By Laura French
NEW YORK — An FDNY paramedic was bitten on the face by a patient Thursday night.
FDNY EMS providers responded to a call about a patient with “altered mental status” when the patient reportedly lunged down a set of stairs and bit the paramedic on her cheek, according to NBC New York. FDNY officials said providers, including the medic who was bitten, continued to treat the patient after the attack.
The paramedic needed four stitches on her face due to the bite wound, EMS officials said. The suspect, a 17-year-old girl, faces three counts of assault, police said.
“The injuries sustained by our paramedic are horrific. No one should be attacked when they are at work, and certainly not EMTs and paramedics who respond to every incident with one mission – to save lives,” FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro said in a statement, according to NBC New York.
FDNY EMS Local 3621 Vice President Anthony Almojera shared photographs of the paramedic’s wounds with her permission, stating, “Every call we go on can be our last. The dangers are everywhere. All the more reason we deserve the same pay and benefits as the other 911 agencies.”