Karen Quickenden saved by quick thinking police after suffering stroke behind the wheel

A Kingaroy woman had an emotional reunion with the police officers who pulled off a daring rescue when she suffered a stroke behind the wheel of her car. Watch the video and see what she had to say about her rescuers.

As she began losing vision in one of her eyes and noticing the same side of her body going weak, Karen Quickenden knew something wasn’t right.

Fatefully, two police officers in a nearby car noticed Ms Quickenden’s car driving erratically, with the quick-thinking officers not hesitating for a second to put themselves in the line of fire to avoid a tragedy.

Officers Darren Adams and Ellen Meagher were travelling along Rover Rd outside of Kingaroy on February 22 when they spotted a ute driving erratically.

Constable Meagher said the car was “all over the road” and travelling extremely slowly on the 100km/h stretch.

Karen Quickenden suffered a stroke behind the wheel, with fast-thinking Kingaroy police stepping up to save her life.

Senior Constable Adams said while the pair didn’t know exactly what was going on, they knew they had to do something.

“We have to stop (her), we need to use the car to get in front and stop it,” he said.

Pulling their four-wheel-drive car in front, they hit the brakes and brought both cars to a standstill.

It was a quick-thinking decision that saved Ms Quickenden’s life.

The 45-year-old was suffering a stroke, and had to be flown to Brisbane for lifesaving treatment.

Quick-thinking officers were at the right place at the right time, getting Karen the life saving treatment she required when she suffered a medical episode earlier this year. pic.twitter.com/EynFWPFFLr

— Queensland Police (@QldPolice) July 1, 2022

Ms Quickenden spent months in hospital in Brisbane, and has recently returned home and enjoyed a reunion with the officers who saved her life.

She teared up as she thanked her real-life heroes.

“It’s nice to see the people that saved you – thank you is all I can say,” she said.

Ms Quickenden relived the moment she realised something wasn’t right with her body.

“I started feeling a bit funny. I thought to myself, ‘What is going on here?’” she said.

Ms Quickenden added that she recalled the police car suddenly appearing in front of her and the officers rushing to her side before she felt herself drifting off “to sleep”.

Constable Meaghers said emergency crews were incredible in the moment.

“People just came from everywhere; police, ambulance, the fireys. It was a really quick response,” she said.

“We made a difference that day, when you look back on it and think, ‘I went to work and did something really positive’.”

Kingaroy police officers have been reunited with local woman Karen, after their quick thinking saved her when she had a stroke behind the wheel.

Murgon paramedic Tom Westerweel was on of the team that responded to the incident and was thrilled to reunite with his one-time patient.

“It’s nice to be able to follow up on a case like this, it doesn’t happen us often where we get to see them,” he said.

Originally published as Karen Quickenden saved by quick thinking police after suffering stroke behind the wheel