Road deaths leave mark on the living

PULLING broken bodies from vehicles is part of the job description for paramedics.Each year they attend hundreds of traffic accidents.Many are minor, some are serious and too many are fatal.Bendigo MICA paramedic Brad Kenyon remembers clearly his first week on the job – 28 years ago.“The first fatal I went to I had been in the job two days,’’ he said.“It was at night in Heathcote and I remember thinking ‘this person is dead – 20 minutes ago they were alive, in a car and driving’.“I still see it, the whole scene, in my head quite clearly.’’Most paramedics will be able to tell you the first fatal accident they went to. Many will also be able to recall a particularly heart-wrenching moment when the reality of their job suddenly hits them.“Before I had kids we used to go to prangs and it didn’t really worry me – it was part of the job,’’ Mr Kenyon said.“Then I went to a fatal years ago where a two-year-old child was killed. “At that time my own son was two years old and that really hit me.“Out of every job I’ve done, that’s the one that really got me the most because I could equate it back to my own children.’’Carly Newman, a paramedic for 18 months, remembers the first fatality she attended, while in training at university.She said a young woman was killed after a collision with a truck, leaving behind a 17-month-old son.“I felt sorry for her child – he had just lost his mum and he was too young to even know.’’Although highly trained at what they do, attending such horrific accidents naturally causes stress for our state’s paramedics. Ambulance Victoria offers counselling and support to its members 24 hours a day.It also offers a peer support program and everyone in Bendigo keeps an eye out for each other.“You can see some tragic things, but other days you can see some really funny things,’’ Mr Kenyon said.“People need to remember that a car is not a toy.“It’s a big responsibility, having a licence, and what people don’t realise is that if someone is seriously injured in an accident, sometimes their rehab is years and they never get back to where they once were.“Young guys and girls – anyone really – can just cut their life short so quick. It’s really sad to see.’’However, it’s a job that neither Ms Newman nor Mr Kenyon will give up.“I’ve never been able to picture myself behind a desk,’’ Ms Newman said.“I like being out in the community and being able to make a difference.’’So far this year, 276 people have been killed on our state’s roads.