Lone female paramedic assaulted by three men with ‘noxious substance’ whilst on duty A female paramedic who had a “noxious substance” thrown in her face while she stopped to help a group of […]

A female paramedic who had a “noxious substance” thrown in her face while she stopped to help a group of men she thought were in distress has said the attackers have “taken away my trust” and spoken of her fear that she had been the victim of an acid attack.

“It was terrifying,” the paramedic from the London Ambulance Service said of the attack. “This was so cowardly. It is my job to help people. I was on my way to help a patient and I stopped because I am caring and I thought they needed my help.”

Although rare, frontline ambulance staff are being reminded to be cautious of similar incidents.

The i newsletter cut through the noise Email address is invalid Email address is invalid Thank you for subscribing! Sorry, there was a problem with your subscription.

The 32-year-old paramedic was on her own when she was on her way to respond to a 999 call for a man with chest pain in the early hours of Sunday morning. On the journey, she was flagged down in Tottenham Hale by three men who appeared to be in distress.

As she stopped to check on the men, they pulled bandanas over their faces and through the window attacked the paramedic with the noxious substance, which caused irritation. The incident has been reported to the police.

‘He was wearing latex gloves’

“And yet if one my attackers were hurt, I would still treat them because that is the job.” Paramedic

Although the substance was not acid, that was the the first thought to cross the paramedic’s mind when the liquid was thrown on her face, neck and chest.

“He was wearing latex gloves, so my first thought was, is this acid?” she said.

There have been a spate of so-called acid attacks in the capital recently. Five acid attacks took place in less than 90 minutes on Thursday night.

Noxious substances have the potential to be harmful. In this case police found the unknown liquid to be non-corrosive.

The paramedic, who was taken to hospital as a precaution, called the attack “horrific in so many ways”.

“It was premeditated and it delayed a patient getting treatment. It took a paramedic off the road that night.

“And yet if one my attackers were hurt, I would still treat them because that is the job.”

‘Senseless’

The attack was called “senseless” by London Ambulance Service assistant director of operations Peter Rhodes, adding that he was “appalled”.

“We have reported this incident to the police and will do everything in our power to make sure those responsible are identified and convicted,” he said.

“Naturally we are doing everything we can to support the paramedic who is understandably distressed by this incident. We encourage our staff to report violent incidents and do everything we can to give our crews a sense of safety at work.”