Paramedic treats dying car crash victim, not knowing it was her own daughter

A Canadian paramedic unknowingly treated her own daughter after responding to a fatal car crash involving a teenage casualty.

On November 15, EMT worker Jayme Erickson arrived at the scene of an explosive crash on a highway in Alberta, Canada, and found a teenage girl with severe injuries that she knew were probably fatal.

Unable to recognize the girl due to the severity of her injuries, the paramedic worked to remove her from the vehicle for 20 minutes and stayed with the teenager until she could be airlifted to a nearby hospital in Calgary.

At the end of the shift, Erickson went home but shortly after, authorities informed her of the tragic news that her 17-year-old daughter, Montana, had been the victim of the crash. She was told that the wounds were so excruciating that the teen had to be taken off life support.

Read Erickson's emotional post below:

Erickson shared her "profound, unimaginable sadness" over the death of her teenage daughter in a November 18 post on social media.

"We are overwhelmed with grief and absolutely gutted," she wrote on Facebook. "The pain I am feeling is like no pain I have ever felt, it is indescribable."

The paramedic said the car crash accident was "my worst nightmare as a paramedic" and that she did whatever she could to help the patient while firefighters "extricated" her.

She then wrote of her shock at finding out that the victim was her "own flesh and blood. My only child. My mini-me. My daughter," and was told that Montana's injuries "were not compatible with life".

"Today we officially said goodbye to my little girl. I cannot help but be angry for the short amount of time I was given with her. 17 years was not long enough. Although I am thankful for the 17 years I had with her, I am shattered and left wondering," she continued.

"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," she concluded.

The paramedic also shared her immeasurable grief with reporters on Tuesday (November 22) and described her daughter as a success at everything she did and an avid swimmer who had dreams of becoming a lawyer.

"She was a fighter and she fought until the day that she died and she was beautiful. She was so beautiful. If she ever put an effort into anything she would always succeed at it," Erickson said while surrounded by family, paramedics, officers, and firefighters.

Paramedic Richard Reed, a family spokesperson, said in a press conference that Montana and a friend - who survived the accident - were driving home after walking dogs at a park when their car was struck by a truck, per CBC news.

"Despite being a cold evening, Jayme stayed in the vehicle for over 20 minutes, ensuring the patient's C-spine was stable and that her airway was clear," Reed said about the EMT worker.

"On her way back, she expressed the grief (and) frustration to her partner, knowing that tonight, a family would likely lose their daughter, sister, and grandchild," he continued. "Jayme unknowingly was keeping her own daughter alive. As both a parent and a first responder, I can tell you, this is beyond a nightmare."

Corporal Gina Slaney, Southern Alberta District media relations officer for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, told Today that Montana was a passenger during the "head-on collision" and she was airlifted to the hospital by STARS Air Ambulance.

Our thoughts are with Montana's family and friends at this time.

Featured image credit: Dave Pattinson / Alamy