Patient spits at, punches paramedic in the face in Epping

A PARAMEDIC was recovering at home last night after being admitted to hospital with back injuries sustained in an attack by the patient he was helping.

Ambulance officers are abused every 50 minutes around the state.

A PARAMEDIC was admitted to hospital after being punched in the face and spat on by a patient he was helping.

The male paramedic was ­recovering at home last night after being put in hospital with back injuries sustained in an attack by a man in his 20s.

An ambulance was called to a home in Epping about 12.40am on Thursday when the man become unconscious after drinking an excess of alcohol.

However, as the patient woke he became aggressive and abusive before spitting at the paramedics. After sedating the patient they were wheeling him on a stretcher to the ­ambulance when the patient lunged at one, punching him in the face.

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Amanda Warren, 31, and Caris Underwood, 20, both drunk, punched and kicked ­paramedic Paul Judd, but avoided jail.

The punch also caused the stretcher to tip, prompting the paramedic to try to stop the man falling and injuring his own back in the process.

Ambulance Victoria spokesman Mick Stephenson said the ­paramedic was expected to be off work for a fortnight recovering from his injuries.

“It is a very serous issue for us,” he said.

“Once every two or three days a paramedic is actually physically assaulted to the point where they are harmed.

“After the result in court the other day and after this incident, I would expect our paramedics to be far more cautious and, as a consequence, not ­attend patients whom they suspect may be dangerous.”

Despite the incident, the ambulance crew still transported the patient to hospital.

But the injured paramedic had to be admitted himself for pain management and further ­assessment.

Victoria Police said nobody had been charged over the ­incident, which comes as the ­Andrews Government promises to toughen penalties for thugs who hurt emergency ­services workers.

The fresh crackdown follows outrage over a judge’s ­decision on Tuesday to quash jail terms for two women who attacked a paramedic.

Amanda Warren, 31, and Caris Underwood, 20, who were both drunk, punched and kicked Paul Judd as he attended a patient in Reservoir in April 2016, breaking bones in his foot. After three operations, he still cannot work.

On appeal, their jail terms were this week replaced with Community Corrections Orders after County Court judge Barbara Cotterell said jailing them would “achieve little”.

The Australian Medical ­Association Victoria lashed the sentence yesterday, calling on the Andrews Government to do more to protect emergency and healthcare workers.

“A strong message must be sent through the judicial system that any violence is unacceptable and that any such acts will be met with the mandated penalty,” an AMA Victoria statement said.

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