VENT: Cast Member response to child falling/bleeding...

[Teki]

When my little brother was a year old (granted this was 17 years ago) My mom was carrying him in a pouch on her front and I (age 3) was walking with my Nana into see the Beauty and the Beast show. As we were walking down the stairs upon being allowed entree into the theatre the a woman and her family decided they wanted front row and pushed there way down the stairs when they got to my mom they pushed her hard enough that she fell face forward down the stairs. She was fine but my baby brother hit his head and had a large scrap on it. She imeaditly went to the nearest cast member to ask to be taken to first aide thinking if someone walked her she could get there faster afraid my brother may have a concussion or worse. The cast member did the same thing to her as she did to your mom simply told her to go to mainstreet no directions no help nothing.

A year ago my baby sister (age 11 at the time shes now 12) Left her purse inside Muppet vision 3D she freaked out cause the purse contained her Disney Dollars. I went and talked to the Cast member at the back gate. She was so rude I actually filed a formal complaint something Ive never done about any rude cast member. She basically told my sister that's to bad and wouldn't do anything for her. I went around to the front of the line and asked the cast member there about it and he said just a moment. got a flash light went into the show that was taking place and found her purse brought it out and gave her a sticker. Some cast members are just better then others its like any other job I think.

 

[Teki]

Remember when we didn't care if we had rubber gloves when someone (let alone a child) was bleeding? I know, it's for "our own protection" but still......if I had seen that I know I would have been trying to help, gloves or no gloves.

Besides that, I as just a retail cashier am trained at what to do at my job if an injury occurs I know who to call and what the codes are. No one can convince me that Disneyland doesn't have a Code for an injury or a procedure on what to do if you see one or are asked for help.

 

[Cinderella_68]

I'm sorry for your unfortunate situation. It could have possibly been the wrong place at the wrong time. Or maybe the cutbacks mean the CM's were spread very thinly. Whatever the reason, I hope you'll give them another chance.
5 stitches, huh? Wow, tell her she's a brave girl! Try calling the resort and asking for an autographed photo of her favorite character to be sent to her at home. We did this once when our DD had to have surgery and we had to cancel a trip to DL. It sure cheered her up! And you can let the resort know how disappointed you are with the situation.

 

[BettyBoopAngel]

Remember when we didn't care if we had rubber gloves when someone (let alone a child) was bleeding? I know, it's for "our own protection" but still......if I had seen that I know I would have been trying to help, gloves or no gloves.

Well, I guess I'm a little more cautious. You can't tell by looking at someone if they have some sort of disease or something. I used to work with kids, and even though I knew them....I still didn't go near their blood until I had gloves on. I'm a "better safe than sorry" kind of person.

 

[Disney Dreams]

Teki, I think your comments are very harsh.

...The cast member did the same thing to her as she did to your mom simply told her to go to mainstreet no directions no help nothing....

The PhotoPass Photograher DID offer directions. The OP said her mother and daughter were ON Main Street. She said:

...The CM directed her to "take her to the first aid station at the end of mainstreet"...

The cast member gave her directions of where to go to get the necessary help.

...if an injury occurs I know who to call and what the codes are. No one can convince me that Disneyland doesn't have a Code for an injury or a procedure on what to do if you see one or are asked for help.

And the CM did exactly that.

We don't know if the CM had any form of communication available. We do know the CM directed the OP's mother to First Aid when seeing an injured child. Perhaps, that is what that CM is trained to do when standing in the middle of Main Street with a camera and a tripod.

- Dreams

 

[Disney Dreams]

Well, I guess I'm a little more cautious. You can't tell by looking at someone if they have some sort of disease or something. I used to work with kids, and even though I knew them....I still didn't go near their blood until I had gloves on. I'm a "better safe than sorry" kind of person.

BettyBoopAngel, this is NOT directed towards you in any way, it is just a thought related to what you wrote.

Reading the above comment I thought to myself, "Wow, is that how our world works now??" I would hope that if anything were to ever happen to me or my family (knock on wood) and the aid of another person was my only chance, it would not come down to the sad fact that there are no gloves or a mouth protector around to have that life saved. That's just a plain scary thought.

 

[hulamom]

I'm so sorry that your DD was hurt and that your mom had a difficult time dealing with everything! Hopefully everybody was able to return for a better time later.

We actually had the opposite experience back in 2005. DD (who was 8 at the time) and I had just gotten off the Matterhorn and met up with DH and DS (who was only 3 at the time) near the exit. DD suddenly got a bloody nose, which was not a big deal as she gets them on occasion. This was a bad one (again, this happens) and she got blood all over her shirt. We calmly sat down and had her pinch her nose until it was finished (she knows the drill). Around that time, a CM came up to us and asked DD if she was okay. DD said yes and the CM walked off. He radioed somebody also. Didn't think anything of it. DD and I ran off to the restroom to wash off. After cleaning up as much as possible, I realized that we'd need to get her another shirt, so after meeting up with DH and DS again, I was going to mention that we needed to make a quick side trip to a store.

Then, out of nowhere, the CM returned with a t-shirt for DS! We were surprised and offered to pay him. He declined saying that it was his treat, and that he didn't want DS walking around with blood on her shirt. To Disney's credit, it probably wouldn't be good for their image for their guests walking around with bloody shirts either. We thanked him immensely, and DD had the biggest smile on her face all day long.

I didn't think of it at the time, but after we got home, I emailed a thank you to guest services and received a very nice reply saying that they would note this and thank the CM as well.

-- Hulamom

 

[McCall]

I am surprised that more help was not offered since the cast member is not in a position to determine whether the injury was 1. serious, and 2. Disney's fault.
Now we know the OP said it was not Disney's fault but the CM does not know that and cannot make that assessment of ANY injury. At least they should not be making that assessment.
When I was at Disney weekend before last, there were a lot fewer CMs around than most times, I assumed it had to do with being off season and monetary cut backs. Perhaps not but they were deffinately harder to find than usual.

 

[pixiewings71]

Besides that, I as just a retail cashier am trained at what to do at my job if an injury occurs I know who to call and what the codes are. No one can convince me that Disneyland doesn't have a Code for an injury or a procedure on what to do if you see one or are asked for help.

That's good, and I remember having that type of training when I worked as a cashier as well. Nothing major but enough to know who to call for help if there was an incident.

BettyBoopAngel, this is NOT directed towards you in any way, it is just a thought related to what you wrote.

Reading the above comment I thought to myself, "Wow, is that how our world works now??" I would hope that if anything were to ever happen to me or my family (knock on wood) and the aid of another person was my only chance, it would not come down to the sad fact that there are no gloves or a mouth protector around to have that life saved. That's just a plain scary thought.

ITA Dreams, ITA!

 

[BettyBoopAngel]

BettyBoopAngel, this is NOT directed towards you in any way, it is just a thought related to what you wrote.

Reading the above comment I thought to myself, "Wow, is that how our world works now??" I would hope that if anything were to ever happen to me or my family (knock on wood) and the aid of another person was my only chance, it would not come down to the sad fact that there are no gloves or a mouth protector around to have that life saved. That's just a plain scary thought.

Well, there is quite a big difference between someone falling and cutting themself and a life or death situation.

When I worked with kids, if a child had darted out into the street and got hit by a car, I would rush over to do whatever I could (thankfully that never happened.) But if a kid has a scraped knee or a bloody nose, they can wait while I put some gloves on.

 

[Albort]

We don't know if the CM had any form of communication available. We do know the CM directed the OP's mother to First Aid when seeing an injured child. Perhaps, that is what that CM is trained to do when standing in the middle of Main Street with a camera and a tripod.

- Dreams

Even if a CM have a radio, its simply just easier to just send guest to first aid. There simply isn't a emergency channel for first aid to use. Theres a security channel but the odds of them show up arent very common either. Radios are connect to the deparment for support and etc. If a CM do radio in, the main office would have to call 911(emergency line) and try to locate the guest's location and answer a set of questions before help is sent out from first aid. Even so, they come from the first aid and first aid only. First aid nurse can only care soo much too.

This is simply reserved for immobilzed guest who cannot be moved to first aid. So if you can go to first aid, its suggestive to just go to first aid asap.

 

[Krissy Marissy]

I have to finish reading but wanted to post before I lose my thoughts which were that I dont blame the CM one bit. Like others stated they are not to leave their area and not really responsible for your child getting hurt nor administering the first aid. I think that if my daughter fell I'd take her straight to first aid without being told and would never expect a CM to just drop everything to help me. I guess I just see it differently...

The CM would most likely want this situation in first aid, obviously she is bleeding and the CM doesn't just carry around a first aid kit to come to the aid of all guests...and these days they have very strict procedures about handling injuries in the workplace...that was the CM's work place, you need gloves and all kinds of things. Also by making a big scene and calling for help they are disrupting other guests experiences. It was easier just to have your mom take her there straight away.

I understand your mom was upset, she should be...that was her grand baby girl hurt and crying at disneyland, but honestly I can't fault the CM here one bit. I do hope your daughter is feeling better. That is the worst feeling...not being with your kids at a time you feel they need you most.

 

[DisneyNic]

I have to finish reading but wanted to post before I lose my thoughts which were that I dont blame the CM one bit. Like others stated they are not to leave their area and not really responsible for your child getting hurt nor administering the first aid. I think that if my daughter fell I'd take her straight to first aid without being told and would never expect a CM to just drop everything to help me. I guess I just see it differently...

The CM would most likely want this situation in first aid, obviously she is bleeding and the CM doesn't just carry around a first aid kit to come to the aid of all guests...and these days they have very strict procedures about handling injuries in the workplace...that was the CM's work place, you need gloves and all kinds of things. Also by making a big scene and calling for help they are disrupting other guests experiences. It was easier just to have your mom take her there straight away.

I understand your mom was upset, she should be...that was her grand baby girl hurt and crying at disneyland, but honestly I can't fault the CM here one bit. I do hope your daughter is feeling better. That is the worst feeling...not being with your kids at a time you feel they need you most.

ITA!

 

[silence]

I guess I look at it this way:

They were in front of the Mickey Flowers just inside the ticket gates. These photopass CM's do not have a tripod, they are holding their cameras.

I did NOT. nor would I ever expect them to handle my child or provide the first aid assistance themselves. What I expected was more along the lines of:

Calling first aid for assistance or a lead or security personnel to assist. Maybe moving her out of the main entry way, while they waited for help to arrive so it wouldn't further "disrupt" guest visits. I do not see how this action would be any more disruptive then them having to make the long walk with people staring at them up mainstreet.

My mom's exact request of her was "help, can you please get me some help over here?"as she was holding the crying/bleeding child. The immediate response was "we have a first aid station down at the end of mainstreet". (they just arrived home an hour ago, so I got all the specific details)

She did not know if my mom was familiar with the park, nor did she ask. That was the extent of her response to my mother's request for "HELP". My mother's instant retort was "is that all you have to offer?" to which the CM shrugged their shoulders.

This was not an ordinary knee scrape, this was a lot of blood coming from a head/mouth wound.

If it is park policy that first aid personnel are not available outside of the first aid station, how about a simple escort to the first aid station? How about grabbing a stroller or a wheelchair so my mother doesn't have to carry the 5 y/o who is too big/heavy to be picked up for anything but a quick hug? How about some tissue/napkin/papertowel, something to help stop the bleeding so they don't leave a trail of blood down mainstreet?

Again, I'm not talking about a ride CM, I'm talking about a person who stands outfront and assists guests with photos (I am not trying to belittle their jobs, we have purchased 4 individual photopass CD's from past trips, we use their services all the time). Having this person leave their post for a few moments to help a guest in need does not seem like an out of line request in my opinion.

We are AP holders. We will be back to the park many more times in the next year. We were fortunate that this one incident did not ruin our "trip of a lifetime" as it could have for another guest. My family can not wait to go back, the park is our "happy place", but that does not mean I am not upset for how the incident was handled. We will also renew our passes again come September.

 

[SunLillyFairy]

Silence: I'm so sorry to hear your baby was not so happy @ the happiest place on earth. I'm glad she's fine.., growing pains I guess. I have to say.., I just don't know what the heck is wrong with you people who think the CM did just fine.

My guess is that the CM was young? Sometimes inexperienced people just don't know how to handle a stressful situation. For those of you afraid of blood.., grow up! Silence didn't say she thought the CM should stick his/her hands in her child's mouth, or even touch her child.., but rather that they should have been smart enough to either 1) Call for help and/or 2) Make sure grandma knew where the first aid station was.

Seriously??? Put yourself in the CM's shoes. Here you are, working at a photopass, and some bloody, crying kid & woman approach you scared and needing help. Are you SO stupid that you don't have enough commone sense to know that since you WORK there it is your responsibility to make sure they get help? Do you know how LIABLE Disney would be if that child's injury had been more serious and the CM just sent her down the way to bleed all the way down main street.., not to mention the blood that's getting everywhere while she trys to get down there. What if this child did have a blood disease.., do you really think bleeding down main street is a good idea?

Also, Disney is a wonderful, wonderful place.., and I agree that there MUST be an injury policy and I would just guess this CM was maybe internally freaked out or something. Didn't you say there were by the front? There are ALWAYS lots of employees by the front. Any reasonable person would know to leave a booth for 1 minute if it were on fire.., and they should know to go get help when someone is injured. That's just common sense. NO ONE will convince me that Disney would say.., "Even if someone is injured or bleeding you must just stay here at the photopass." NO WAY. The CM was not a medical officer and had no way to assess how serious the injury was and was very stupid to just brush them off. If the injury needed stiches, you can bet there was quite a bit of blood; there is no way they would have known how serious it was or was not and you should NEVER ASSUME something is not serious.

And to all of you who think this was handled "just fine" and "appropriately".., Well, I guess you just better hope that if/when you or your loved one gets hurt at DL that you will be lucky enough to have a better trained CM around you.

 

[Krissy Marissy]

Actually I have had injuries at DL and never once did I wait for a CM to help out, it was not their fault. I would guess that if your mom didn't know where she was going she could have asked him to show the way or asked for more specific directions. Also where exactly does this tissue/napkin appear?? They dont just carry them around in case this sort of thing happens, and everyone takes it very seriously these days as far as handling a strangers blood. We have no idea what disney has told these CMs to do in this situation. I am guessing for legal reasons they try not to have them get too involved and if they seem more than capable to get to first aid on their own that they should be directed to do so. As someone stated above, see PP's, they do not have a radio channel to call for help for minor injuries and sending them to first aid was getting them the quickest possible medical attention.

Also I am sure that the parents of the CM you are referring to as stupid love that comment. And are you comparing a fire to a bloody lip???? I am not trying to start a war here...I am just seeing it from a non emotional point of view. As a parent I know it sucks when your child is bleeding and hurt, your heart races and you dont always have a clear mind at the time. I have now read all of her details and stand by my original post. It sucks her daughter was hurt, I am sorry for her and hope she is doing well however that is no excuse to call that CM stupid.

 

[fairykin]

It is Not too much to expect a CM to radio for assistance in helping with a grandmother and a child who is hurt to the point of requiring stitches.

It is an emotional thing.

Isn't that what Disney banks it's books on... emotions?

 

[fairykin]

And by the way Krissy Marissy and I are members of the same crew of the S.S. LoSaH pants..so we can agree to have different view points without contention.

 

[Krissy Marissy]

And by the way Krissy Marissy and I are members of the same crew of the S.S. LoSaH pants..so we can agree to have different view points without contention.

But if this CM has no radio or any quick way of getting help without causing a bigger scene is it not reasonable to just send them to first aid??

And yes...I am not sure if I even want to play that darn game anymore

 

[Stacerita]

Everyone is assuming so many different things about the CM. For all we know the CM was trained to send people to the first aid station. And if the grandmother didn't know where it was, all she needed to do was ask. But OP stated she did know, but was still upset that they didn't walk her down there. The child got the medical attention she needed. That is what matters.