More than a decade after witnessing a bikie being gunned down in front of her, a former paramedic is suing for ongoing trauma.
Senior Rebels motorcycle gang member Darren Wallace was killed at a service station at Picton, southwest of Sydney, in December 2015.
Police found the body of his killer, also suspected to be part of the outlaw bikie gang, in a nearby creek.
Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today Arrow
Geraldine Cox, who has not worked since March 2016, has filed a Supreme Court proceeding claiming NSW Ambulance did not take care of her mental health after the incident.
She and a colleague, Leigh Easterbrook, had been waiting at the service station to fill up their ambulance with petrol moments before the shooting.
Wallace was shot point-blank in the head by another man he was earlier seen arguing with, according to court documents seen by AAP.
The 32-year-old was heard pleading for his life, saying “don’t do it”, before he was shot, witnesses told police.
The shooter then turned towards the ambulance, raising his arm with the gun and causing the two paramedics to duck for cover.
After he fled, Cox and Easterbrook administered medical care to Wallace before he died.
In her lawsuit, filed in September 2025, Cox accused NSW Ambulance of failing its duty of care to her afterwards.
A former paramedic is suing NSW Ambulance Service. File image. Credit: Flavio Brancaleone/AAPThe paramedic witnessed the brutal murder of a Rebels bikie member in 2016 and stopped working soon after. File image. Credit: AAP
She is seeking compensation for lost income, totalling more than $1600 per week, from March 2016 until the date she was due to retire at age 66.
She has also asked for more than $87,000 in alleged underpayments, plus lost superannuation payments.
Cox claimed she was not offered proper counselling or psychological assistance but was instead told “not to change her routine”.
After returning to work nine days after the incident, she alleged her duties exposed her to further trauma including being required to go back to the petrol station where the shooting took place.
In its defence, NSW Ambulance admitted to owing a duty of care to Cox but denied it had been negligent in its actions.
If Cox had suffered any injury it was because of her failure to disclose any psychological symptoms, the government-run entity claimed.
The former paramedic had also not sought support from the Employee Assistance Program, peer support officers, nor the chaplain, the defence said.
Cox had been paid workers’ compensation after the incident, NSW Ambulance said.
It has argued the lawsuit was filed out of time due to legislation which requires personal injury claims to be commenced within three years of any incident.
The matter will next come before the court on May 7.
If you need help in a crisis, call Lifeline on 131114. For further information about depression contact beyondblue on 1300224636 or talk to your GP, local health professional or someone you trust.
‘Very serious organised crime’ rife in the NDIS as crackdown defended
2 min read
Teen passenger killed in Melbourne e-bike crash
1 min read
