http://www.ntnews.com.au/news/northern-territory/st-john-paramedics-caught-up-in-brawl-that-halted-traffic-in-darwin/news-story/f0a84b24782c7eec236d41e4e169c577
PARAMEDICS were forced to stop an all-in brawl which spilt dangerously in front of oncoming traffic on a busy Darwin road.
Fearing another pedestrian fatality was about to unfold before their eyes, the St John paramedics pulled over at the intersection of Parap Rd and the Stuart Highway on Thursday night.
Two women were wrestling on the bitumen as up to 10 bystanders formed a melee around the pair, forcing traffic to come to a halt.
Paramedics attempted to separate the women in the minutes before police arrived.
The brawl comes as emergency services offered a renewed plea for pedestrians to take responsibility for their own safety.
St John Ambulance spokesman Craig Garraway said typically paramedics avoided breaking up physical confrontations but the danger was imminent on this occasion.
"That's why the paramedics stepped in because these people have spilt out on to the road. It's a concern for us. We see it happen all the time and we have to pick up the pieces," he said.
"We don't condone it but at the end of the day if there's any type of violence it's a bit hard to not step in. When people spill out on to the road you know what's going to happen."
He said the alcohol was a factor in many of the incidents.
"We are calling on drivers to take particular care where impaired people may be frequenting or where there is a high density of pedestrian traffic," he said.
"They are serious injuries and can be life changing injuries. It's frustrating because we're trying to get the road toll down and we get this sort of behaviour that we can't control. People get killed but the drivers of the vehicles are the ones that are traumatised as well."
PARAMEDICS were forced to stop an all-in brawl which spilt dangerously in front of oncoming traffic on a busy Darwin road.
Fearing another pedestrian fatality was about to unfold before their eyes, the St John paramedics pulled over at the intersection of Parap Rd and the Stuart Highway on Thursday night.
Two women were wrestling on the bitumen as up to 10 bystanders formed a melee around the pair, forcing traffic to come to a halt.
Paramedics attempted to separate the women in the minutes before police arrived.
The brawl comes as emergency services offered a renewed plea for pedestrians to take responsibility for their own safety.
St John Ambulance spokesman Craig Garraway said typically paramedics avoided breaking up physical confrontations but the danger was imminent on this occasion.
"That's why the paramedics stepped in because these people have spilt out on to the road. It's a concern for us. We see it happen all the time and we have to pick up the pieces," he said.
"We don't condone it but at the end of the day if there's any type of violence it's a bit hard to not step in. When people spill out on to the road you know what's going to happen."
He said the alcohol was a factor in many of the incidents.
"We are calling on drivers to take particular care where impaired people may be frequenting or where there is a high density of pedestrian traffic," he said.
"They are serious injuries and can be life changing injuries. It's frustrating because we're trying to get the road toll down and we get this sort of behaviour that we can't control. People get killed but the drivers of the vehicles are the ones that are traumatised as well."
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