'A shining light': Off-duty paramedic killed by fallen tree in freak car accident

12 July 2019 at 5:42 am

A woman who died after a tree fell on a car in NSW's Blue Mountains has been identified as an off-duty NSW Ambulance paramedic.

Authorities found Dearne Fulcher and her son inside a Volvo sedan crushed under the large tree on Victoria Street in Katoomba about 7pm on Thursday.

Dearne Fulcher suffered fatal injuries and could not be revived. Source: NSW Ambulance — Dearne Fulcher suffered fatal injuries after a tree fell on her car, and could not be revived. Source: NSW Ambulance

Ms Fulcher suffered fatal injuries and could not be revived.

Her son Dylan, aged in his 20s, was driving the car. He was freed from the wreck and flown to Westmead Hospital with head and chest injuries, where he remains in a serious condition.

A woman has died after a tree fell onto her car in Katoomba, west of Sydney. Source: 9News — A tree fell onto the car driven by Dearne Fulcher's son, in Katoomba, west of Sydney, crushing them both. Source: 9News

Veteran NSW paramedic was a ‘shining light’

On Friday, NSW Ambulance confirmed Ms Fulcher was one of their senior paramedics and clinicians, with more than 25 years of experience.

The organisation described her as a "shining light in her community and her profession".

“Always an extraordinary paramedic, Dearne displayed an enormous passion for delivering first-rate care to every single patient she encountered. Her strength of character was unrivalled," NSW Ambulance wrote in a Facebook tribute.

Pictured are emergency crews working to try and save NSW paramedic Dearne Fulcher and her son crushed by a fallen tree. — Emergency crews work to try and save Dearne Fulcher and her son from the wreck. Source: 9News

"We, and the community of Katoomba, are forever indebted to Dearne's service."

Ms Fulcher, who started with NSW Ambulance in 1994, was awarded a Bronze Bravery medal in 2002 for her work treating patients following a "devastating" series of fires at Medlow Bath.

What caused the tree to fall remains unclear but a severe weather warning was in place for damaging winds across the area.

Pictured is NSW ambulance paramedic Dearne Fulcher who suffered fatal injuries when her car was crushed by a tree in the Blue Mountains. — Senior paramedic Dearne Fulcher has been described as a "shining light" in her profession, with 25 years of experience. Source: NSW Ambulance

Witness Samantha Jones said it sounded "like a bomb going off".

"It was the loudest explosion I'd ever heard. I didn't know what had happened," she said.

"I thought seriously a bomb had been dropped."

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