ELKINS, W.Va. –– A Randolph County paramedic is recovering after being stabbed on an early morning call.
The two paramedics from the Randolph County Ambulance Authority responded to a call in Beverly between 4:30 and 5:00 a.m. Thursday. When they arrived, the victim was not suffering a seizure and attacked them.
“When he turned violent they retreated to their vehicle and he was chasing them,” said Kurt Gainer, Director of the Ambulance Authority. “They jumped in the truck and he jerked the door open before they could lock it.”
Gainer said the man, identified as Terrance Joel Daniels, 24, of Beverly was armed with a pair of scissors. Captain Thomas Kotarsky suffered a stabbed wound to the stomach.
“It was a pretty minor injury, but it could have been a lot more severe,” Gainer said. “He was treated at the hospital and seen by a doctor before being discharged.”
Gainer will return to work Saturday.
The two paramedics summonsed law enforcement who arrived and arrested Daniels on a charge of malicious wounding. He’s lodged in the Tygart Valley Regional Jail with bond set at $50,000.
“We have had people assaulted before and bitten. This is the first time anybody was stabbed,” said Gainer. “You’re out in the field dealing with the public. They are armed and you’re dealing with overdoses all the time. It’s part of the job.”