KINGSTON, Jamaica — Vincent Morrison, president of the Union of Clerical Administrative and Supervisory Employees (UCASE), has paid tribute to the ambulance driver who died suddenly last week while transporting a patient to Andrews Memorial Hospital.

He also commended the passer-by, Tirique Wade, who took control of the ambulance after the driver suffered a heart attack. The ambulance driver was a union delegate who Morrison identified as Trevor Mitchell.

“I want to thank the gentleman, Mr Wade who would have volunteered to take him to the hospital. I would love to meet Wade to thank him on behalf of the workers of the company and his family,” Morrison told Observer Online.

Describing Mitchell as an “outstanding” union delegate, Morrison said his death has deeply affected the organisation.

“A very outstanding worker. At this time, the entire workforce of the company has been grieving over his passing because, as I said, he was an outstanding employee. An outstanding union delegate. In fact, I would describe one of his outstanding characteristics as being his honesty and his reliability, his loyalty, and his communication skills,” Morrison said.

“I mean, I could go on describing the young man but he was in the trade union business. For him, communication was a very important element, he used to assist in organising meetings, communicating to members, et cetera. He had those responsibilities,” he continued, noting that Mitchell was with the organisation for more than 14 years.

Adding that Mitchell’s death came as a shock, Morrison said “I don’t think he had touched the golden age of 50. Very young man. Very active, very reliable.”

Morrison said they are awaiting the post-mortem to make funeral arrangements. He stressed that he looks forward to celebrating the life and work of an outstanding Jamaican.

On Monday, October 28, an ambulance was observed parked along Mountain View Avenue in St Andrew with the sirens blaring. On their approach, residents observed a nurse inside the ambulance attempting to resuscitate the driver who was unconscious.

Tirique Wade was passing by the scene when he was alerted to the situation and with quick action he decided to drive the ambulance, which had a patient in the back, to the Andrews Memorial Hospital where it was headed.

READ: ‘Help each other’: Mountain View hero takes over ambulance after driver suffers fatal heart attack

The ambulance driver, however, was taken to the Kingston Public Hospital by police officers who were also on the scene.