JOANNE POOLE, a trainee paramedic has been praised after she went to the aid of an 18-year-old man whose car left the A414 near Bobbingworth and hit a tree.

The man, who is understood to live in Ongar, was given fluids and pain relief while he was trapped for about half an hour. He was eventually freed from the wreckage by firefighters and taken to Princess Alexandra Hospital, Harlow, with a broken left leg on Wednesday, February 18.

An Epping-based ambulance and a paramedic manager from Loughton were sent to the scene.

Essex Ambulance Service's west area operations manager John Woolfenden said: "The man's injuries are serious though not life threatening. It must have been quite frightening being treated while the fire crew removed the roof of the car so that he could be freed from the wreckage.

"I would like to pay tribute to the work of the first person on scene, Joanne Poole. By chance she is a trainee paramedic based at Waltham Abbey who was on her way to work. She has only recently qualified.

"She did an excellent job assessing the patient, completing the primary survey of his injuries, providing basic first aid and reassurance to the patient.

"Her quick work made a big difference when the crew arrived on the scene."