Emotional reunion: WA police officer reunites with paramedics after life-changing incident

When Detective Senior Constable Greg McDougall’s family received an SOS alert from his Apple Watch, they knew their loved one was in danger. 

Greg had been involved in a major incident while on duty. 

Sustaining fractures to his ribs, arm and ankle, and injuries to his organs, St John WA crews arrived swiftly on the scene to provide emergency care and keep Greg calm and safe.  

After multiple surgeries and six days in ICU at Royal Perth Hospital, he was back home and on the long, grueling path to recovery. 

Greg and Vickie brought their daughters to meet up with two of his first responders, Jess Allison-Walker and Trent Boog, in a reunion at St John WA HQ. 

They took the opportunity to talk through the life-changing event and express their thanks and gratitude to each other. 

“From myself and my family, thank you very much for attending and saving my life. I’m just grateful for the girls that their dad is still here,” Greg said. 

“You probably said over 100 times, just tell my family that I love them,” paramedic Jess said. 

“Just promise me you’ll tell them, I do remember that,” Greg said of one of the few moments he can remember from his ordeal. 

“He just wants them to know how valuable they are to the community. They’ve changed our life by keeping him here,” Vickie said. 

With ambulance teams working so closely with other emergency frontline services, like the Western Australia Police Force, it hits home when crews are attempting to ‘save one of their own’. 

“Being injured at work is something that could happen to all of us, so to see him come out the other side is amazing,” Jess said. 

For now, Greg is focused on his physio, fitness and family.  

He went back to work on a staged return-to-duties program in March.