Mother grateful for Aberdeen public's help after ambulance transporting baby daughter stuck in snow

A mother has thanked members of the public who raced to help free an ambulance transporting her baby girl to hospital after it got stuck in deep snow.

Melissa Macleod’s 10-month-old daughter, Jessica Louise, was suffering from a respiratory infection and required an ambulance for oxygen support.

But it got stuck in snow on the A96 in Aberdeenshire as heavy snow brought in by Storm Eunice swept across the region.

Melissa told STV News that motorists in the area jumped out of their cars to help within seconds of realising the ambulance was in difficulty.

Jessica Louise was being taken to hospital with a respiratory infection. Melissa Macleod

The 32-year-old from Insch said: “It got stuck in the snow on the A96 while trying to get past other vehicles that were at a standstill.

“Prior to this there were vehicles not moving out the way for the ambulance so a lorry driver got out his vehicle and started walking down the road in the snow to tell people to move.

“Then It went down to one treated lane and to get past the ambulance had to drive on the untreated part of the road, where it became stuck. Literally within seconds there was people pushes the ambulance to free it.

“Luckily we weren’t stuck for long because of these people but the conditions and the amount of cars on the road meant that a journey that would usually take 45 mins in a normal car on a normal day, took the ambulance two hours with flashing lights and siren.”

Jessica Louise has a complex medical history and spent the first six months of her life in hospital due to a congenital heart defect.

Upon arrival at the hospital, Jessica Louise was transferred to the paediatric assessment unit. She was put on antibiotics while still receiving oxygen support and pain relief.

She was then moved to the high dependency unit as she required a more powerful oxygen support.

Melissa Macleod with her husband Donald and daughter Jessica Louise Melissa Macleod

Melissa said: “She’s still very poorly but this extra support so far seems to be doing the work for her that she needs.

“We’ve been through a lot medically with Jessica Louise so far in her 10 months, so we’ve become a bit pro at dealing with her medical emergencies.

“This in no way means it’s not worrying or scary, we just know she’s in the best place she needs to be and just be here for her and give her whatever she wants to make her more comfortable while she’s in a strange environment not feeling well.

“The paramedics were great and Laura done an amazing job getting us through that, I couldn’t thank them enough. Jessica Louise was stable at the during the journey, however it could have been an entirely different journey had she not been.

“The support from the people who helped get the ambulance through the traffic and push it when it was stuck is amazing and we are so grateful for all their help.

“Since it’s been shared online and social media the outpouring of love, prayers and support we have received for Jessica Louise’s recovery is amazing and so appreciated by us, our family and friends.”