'My worst nightmare': Alberta paramedic responds to crash that fatally injured her daughter
An Alberta paramedic called to a crash last week didn’t know she was trying to save her own daughter because the victim’s injuries were too severe.
Jayme Erickson said she did what she could that day and saw the victim airlifted to hospital, only to later find out from police the girl she’d been trying to save was her daughter, just in time to make it to the hospital to say goodbye for the final time.
Erickson shared the story on Facebook, saying she was dispatched with her partner to a crash west of Airdrie, Alta., at around 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 15. There were two injured patients on scene, including the passenger of a vehicle who was trapped and critically injured.
Erickson wrote that she did what she could to assist the critically injured passenger while fire crews worked to extricate the girl from the vehicle.
The patient was then airlifted by a STARS air ambulance helicopter crew to the Foothills Medical Centre in Calgary.
"My shift was over and I went home," Erickson wrote.
A short time later, there was a knock on her door.
"RCMP were at my door, to inform me that my daughter had been in an accident," she wrote.
That's when the reality of the situation hit her.
"The critically injured patient I had just attended to was my own flesh and blood," she wrote. "My only child. My mini-me. My daughter, Montana. Her injures were so horrific I did not even recognize her."
Erickson wrote that she was taken by the officers to the hospital where she was informed that 17-year-old Montana's injuries "were not compatible with life." She said goodbye to her daughter for the final time.
"We are overwhelmed with grief and absolutely gutted," she said. "The pain I am feeling is like no pain I have ever felt, it is indescribable.
"My worst nightmare as a paramedic has come true."
Erickson says she's heartbroken by the loss of her daughter at such a young age.
"I cannot help but be angry for the short amount of time I was given with her," she wrote. "17 years was not long enough. 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?" she said. "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. I love you more than anything in this world (yes, including the goats my girl!).
"I will cherish the memories we made and the time we had together. I am shattered. I am broken. I am missing a piece of me. I am left to pick up the pieces and expected to carry on."
In the final words of her post, Erickson quoted some of lyrics from country singer Cody Johnson's 'Til you can't.
"Love with all your heart. Hold those close to you. Make memories. ‘If you’re going to love somebody, hold on as long and as strong as you can… til you can’t.'"
A GoFundMe page has been created to help support the Erickson family.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trudeau and Harris? Poilievre and Trump? Here's who Canadians think would work best with: survey
As Americans prepare to elect their next president on Tuesday, new data from the Angus Reid Institute suggests Canadians hold differing views as to which federal party leaders would be best suited to deal with either Donald Trump or Kamala Harris.
B.C. port employers launch lockout at terminals in labour dispute with workers
Employers at British Columbia ports say they are going ahead with locking out more than 700 foremen across the province after strike activities from union members began.
Months after VRBO booking, Taylor Swift fan told home 'not available' during Vancouver concert
A frustrated Taylor Swift fan is speaking out after being pushed from a short-term rental she booked for the upcoming Vancouver leg of the superstar’s Eras Tour.
Felonies, assassination attempts and a last-minute change on the ticket leads voters to Tuesday's U.S. election
A campaign that has careened through a felony trial, incumbent being pushed off the ticket and assassination attempts comes down to Election Day on Tuesday.
Measles cases in New Brunswick more than double in three days
A measles outbreak declared in New Brunswick’s Zone 3 last week, which includes Fredericton and the upper Saint John River Valley, has more than doubled since last week.
Prison sentences handed down for sexually abusive London, Ont. parents
In handing down the sentences for two London parents, Justice Thomas Heeney told the court, "The facts of this case were the most egregious that I have encountered during my 26 years on the bench."
She was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes about a year ago. Here's how her condition was reversed
A year ago, Lorraine O'Quinn was coping with stress, chronic illness and Type 2 diabetes. Then she discovered a health program that she says changed her life.
Surprise swing state? Iowa poll has Harris suddenly leading
Based on victories in the past two elections and polls leading up to Tuesday’s election, Donald Trump had seemed almost certain to win Iowa, but a new poll has Kamala Harris with a sudden three-point lead.
Russia suspected of sending incendiary devices on US- and Canada-bound planes, Wall Street Journal reports
Incendiary devices that ignited in Germany and the United Kingdom in July were part of a covert Russian operation that aimed to start fires aboard cargo and passenger flights heading to the U.S. and Canada, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported Monday, citing Western security officials.