BEAUSEJOUR - On Monday, July 27, 2015, paramedics marched in honour of two of their own who died in a highway accident while on the job twenty years ago.
“We’re here to show the community and their families that these dedicated men have not been forgotten,” said MGEU President Michelle Gawronsky. “As a former rural paramedic myself, this event means an awful lot to me.”
Over 200 paramedics and many community members gathered to remember 41-year-old Keith Barrie and 28-year-old Manuel Cuadros.
Barrie and Cuadros had just left the hospital in Beausejour on their way to an emergency call when they were struck by a semi-trailer on July 27, 1995.
“They sacrificed their own lives while trying to save another,” Gawronsky said. “Sometimes we forget the risks that our paramedics face in the line of duty, and it’s so important today that we remember and recognize the incredible commitment these men had to serving their community. It’s not something we should ever take for granted.”
The Manitoba paramedic honour guard and the Beausejour Brokenhead Fire Department organized the memorial service at the Brokenhead River Community Hall, the parade to the St. Mary Roman Catholic Cemetery, and the laying of wreaths at the graves of Barrie and Cuadros.
Barrie and Cuadros each left behind a wife and two young sons.