In a gut-wrenching twist of fate, a Canadian paramedic learned she unknowingly provided emergency care to her own fatally injured daughter following a devastating car accident in Alberta.
Jayme Erickson, a seasoned EMT worker, faced the unimaginable ordeal of treating her 17-year-old daughter, Montana, at a crash site - but tragically did not even recognize her due to the extent of her injuries.
On November 15, Erickson was among the first responders to arrive at the catastrophic scene of a highway collision in Alberta. She discovered a teenage girl with such severe injuries that they appeared likely fatal.
For 20 agonizing minutes, Erickson worked meticulously to free the unidentified girl from the wreckage, later having her airlifted to a Calgary hospital for urgent care.
Only after her shift did Erickson receive the heart-shattering news from authorities. "The pain I am feeling is like no pain I have ever felt, it is indescribable," she emotionally penned in a November 18 Facebook post, revealing that her only daughter had been the victim.
Montana's injuries were so severe that she had to be taken off life support, leaving her mother to grapple with "profound, unimaginable sadness."
In her social media statement, the bereaved mother described the experience as "my worst nightmare as a paramedic," stating she did all she could to help her daughter, not knowing she was treating "my own flesh and blood. My only child. My mini-me. My daughter." She wrote that Montana's injuries "were not compatible with life."
Family spokesperson and fellow paramedic Richard Reed said during a press conference that Montana and a friend were returning from walking their dogs at a park when a truck collided with their vehicle. "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 acknowledged, adding that Erickson was "unknowingly keeping her own daughter alive."
Corporal Gina Slaney of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police confirmed that Montana had been a passenger in the vehicle during the "head-on collision" and was airlifted by STARS Air Ambulance.
Erickson continued to share her profound sorrow with reporters, surrounded by family and first responders, describing Montana as a successful and beautiful young woman with dreams of becoming a lawyer. "She was a fighter and she fought until the day that she died," Erickson said.
Amid this incomprehensible tragedy, our thoughts are with Jayme Erickson and all of Montana's family and friends as they navigate this unbearable loss.
This heart-rending story serves as a poignant reminder of the intense emotional burden borne by first responders, often overlooked as they serve on the frontline of life's most critical moments.
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