Shocking injuries paramedic suffered when patient he was trying to help HEADBUTTED him in unprovoked attack
Bob Burness, 59, was left with blood pouring down his face when he responded to reports of an unconscious man found slumped in the stairwell of a block of flats
A PARAMEDIC has revealed the shocking injuries he suffered when a patient he was trying to help headbutted him in an unprovoked attack.
Bob Burness, 59, was responding to reports of an unconscious man found slumped in the stairwell of a block of flats when the patient lashed out.
The grandfather-of-five, from Birmingham, West Mids., was left with blood pouring from his nose after the assault in West Bromwich, at 8pm on January 3.
He said: “We started doing our assessments and at this point he started to wake up and get more aggressive.
“He threw a beer can at a woman volunteer student and then squared up to her – so I stepped in front of him to calm him down.
“Without warning, he just headbutted me.
“He kept hitting me on the nose and mouth, which knocked me back. And then chased the paramedic up the stairs.
“At this stage, I had recovered enough and I ran upstairs, too.
“Between us, we managed to bring him downstairs and restrained him until the police arrived. He was handcuffed and taken away.”
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Meanwhile, another ambulance was called to take care of Bob’s own injuries.
He suffered soft tissue damage to his nose and headaches for a couple of days.
Bob, who worked for nearly 30 years as a firefighter for West Midlands Fire Service before joining the ambulance service, says attacks on crews have become routine.
“I’ve been pushed down a flight of stairs; I’ve been spat at,” he said.
“It’s almost normal for certain members of the community who attack us for no obvious reason – but it won’t put me off.”
Donald Hornby, 25, of no fixed abode, was charged with assault and jailed for 12 weeks and fined £250 when he appeared before Dudley Magistrates on Thursday, January 5.
West Midlands Ambulance Service’s General Manager for Birmingham, Nathan Hudson, said: “We welcome the fact that a custodial sentence has been issued in this case – but we are disappointed that it is not longer. Is 12 weeks enough for a serious assault on a member of ambulance staff who had been called to try to help the defendant?
“It is extremely disappointing that our staff suffer physical and verbal abuse when all they are trying to do is help members of the public with medical emergencies.”
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