An ambulance service has paid tribute to a ‘well loved and respected’ technician who died after a rock smashed through his vehicle’s windscreen.
Jeremy Daw, 66, known to friends as Jack, had been sitting in the front passenger seat of the ambulance when the rock smashed into the windscreen from a passing lorry heading towards a nearby quarry.
Despite the efforts of his emergency services colleagues, the grandfather, who had only returned to the West Midlands Ambulance Service in January this year to join the battle against the pandemic, died at the scene.
The driver of the ambulance, who had worked with Mr Daw previously, was taken to hospital for treatment but has since been discharged after receiving treatment.
The 66-year-old, was applauded by a guard of honour of paramedics, friends, family and locals outside Hereford Crematorium as his funeral cortege went by.
Paramedics lined a route outside of Hereford Crematorium on Tuesday in honour of Jeremy Daw, who died last month when his ambulance was struck by an object as he responded to a 999 call in Herefordshire.
Jeremy Daw, 66, known to friends as Jack, had been sitting in the front passenger seat of the ambulance when the rock smashed into the windscreen from a passing lorry heading towards a nearby quarry
Mr Daw was described as a ‘well loved and respected colleague’ by staff at the West Midlands Ambulance Service
Other members of staff stood still in ambulance stations.
A spokesman for the service said: ‘Today we paid tribute and said goodbye to an incredibly well loved and respected colleague.
‘The streets of Hereford were lined with friends, family, colleagues and members of the community wishing to pay their respects.
‘From GP surgeries, the fire service, shops, and members of the public all clapping the cortege through the route.
Despite the efforts of his emergency services colleagues, the grandfather, who had only returned to the West Midlands Ambulance Service in January this year to join the battle against the pandemic, died at the scene
The 66-year-old, was applauded by a guard of honour of paramedics, friends, family and locals outside Hereford Crematorium as his funeral cortege went by
‘Thank you for joining us and Jeremy “Jack’s” family to remember a wonderful man.’
Mr Daw, described as a ‘remarkable character’ and ‘one of life’s good guys’, died at the scene of the incident.
West Mercia Police said an investigation was ongoing into the exact circumstances of the tragic incident but ‘it is not believed to be foul play’.
NHS chief executive Sir Simon Stevens had previously said in a statement: ‘After almost three decades’ service, he returned to the frontline from a well-earned retirement to help patients during the coronavirus pandemic, and served as a mentor to younger colleagues.
Mr Daw, who had been hailed a ‘true hero’, died following the incident on the A49 near the village of Morton on Lugg near Hereford
‘On behalf of everyone across the NHS, our heartfelt condolences go to Jeremy’s family, friends and colleagues, as we also wish his crewmate a swift recovery.’
West Midlands Ambulance Service emergency operations delivery director Nathan Hudson said Mr Daw’s death was a ‘tragic accident’.
He said the ambulance was responding to a 999 ‘category two’ call shortly before 8am on April 24 when it was struck by an object near the junction of Moreton Road and the A49, north of Hereford.
Mr Hudson described Mr Daw, who had 29 years experience with the ambulance service and was from Hereford, as a ‘remarkable character’.