Would you be mad

[macraven]

if it was me on that pavement, i would have been appreciative of any help given to me.

you did good.

 

[hambirg]

I'm sure you thought you were doing is what was best. I'm not going to fault you. But, as somebody that has worked with severely disabled kids for years, I think the man was having a seizure. . and if that's the case, the best thing to do was not restrain him. I used to regularly see 3-5 seizures a day. You just have to ride them out. It would have been a good idea to put something between his head and the pavement though. Also, I know somebody else brought it up. . .but you do really need to be careful about blood born pathogens. I also drove ADA transportation and transported MANY folks that are HIV positive or positive for MRSA. I never let it faze me, but my regular loyal clients would tell me. . .if something happens and I'm bleeding. . ..I want you to know I'm HIV positive. . .sweet wonderful people and I'm thankful for their honesty. Same with the MRSA. . .the hospital staff, if we were picking up a hospital discharge, did not have to tell us. . .we were suppose to just always assume that was the case. . .but some dear nurses would tell us. We did have to have contact usually. I'm one to never let it bother me much. . .I would carry their things and shake their hands. . .but after I would have to disinfect everything they touched because my next client may have a compromised immunity.

I am curious as to why you were the one administering first aid when your DW is a nurse. I would think she was the more qualified one. Just an FYI, my Dad was a high school football trainer. . no big whoop. .. but as a kid I saw him act as a first responder many times. . .CPR. . at the gas station no less! His best friend, the football coach, had a heart attack in the locker room and my Dad was the one giving him CPR until the EMTs arrived. . .my Dad's best friend. . he died. We were driving down a mountain interstate once when the doors of the van in front of us flew open and a man fell out. . .my Dad cleaned and packed him up for almost an hour before they were able to drive him on the the nearest town over 100 miles away. So. . yeah. . .first aid is really important. . .but I think it should be left up to those most qualified.

Did the driver of the car stop?

 

[ChiCat]

It is so sad that we as a society are now at a point where we are discouraged from comforting another person in pain. You were compassionate and courageous. It is society that has gotten off track.

I completely agree.

 

[jaminmd]

The police didn't do anything because they aren't trained medical personnel, so that is pretty standard. You are never supposed to move someone in a situation like that unless you are trying to move them from immediate danger such as a burning car.

Your intentions were good but the police were not in the wrong here & when you create a disturbance such as the one you described, they were right to threaten to restrain you.

When you've had time to calm down, put the shoe on the other foot & think of it rationally. For those with low opinions of police, well, there are far more good ones then bad. Walk a mile in their shoes...

And thank you for stopping to help a fellow human being.

 

[LovableGluttons]

Please don't be mad, you did a GREAT thing!

You kept him safe until the police arrived.

That's critically important.

As far as contracting something from the man's blood, it is highly unlikely.

I've been an RN for many years, with lots of exposure, and am HIV, HEP B, HEPC, and even CMV negative.

Yes, I stop and help.

We are human beings first.

(hugs) You rock!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

No, I would not be mad.

I guess once the police showed I would expect that they are following proper protocol. We have so many car accidents here that our local police take care of, I would not even question their protocols.

 

[kirbsam]

to answer the question. no, i would not be mad.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I wouldn't be mad, but after hearing some pretty amazing rescue stories, I would be questioning the hands off judgement of the police and the threat of arrest when you were trying to assist.

I wasn't there, so I cannot comment on if what you did was correct or not.

Having been a situation where the only "trained" individual refused to help me b/c of a little blood--as it turned out, I had regained consciousness, so no harm no foul. But what if I didn't? Just something that I always wonder about and what other people wondered when they had no training to help me and the person just stood their saying "I'm not touching her". Still remember that all these years later. She could have at least been instructing others, but NOPE.

I did witness a hit and run once and it was a guy on the motorcycle. Instinct kicked in to see if he was okay. Many people checked on him as it was a serious hit and flipped him. He got up and was only concerned about his bike. Any attempts to approach him were met with his anger b/c he was insistent on checking on the condition of his bike. When that happens, it is best to back off as you don't want to get hurt yourself.

 

[MickeySP]

No I wouldn't be mad.

We also have Good Samaritan laws here and they are pretty effetive, you really have to be grossly negligent to be successfully sued.

It was great you put something under his head, probaly helped stave off anymore head trauma.

as far as police - no I would not be mad. They are not EMTs or Paramedics, basic First Aid is usually all the training they have. They are there to control the scene until medical professionals can arrive.

As far as telling you they would arrest you, you were agitated and creating a disturbance. This is how crowds get amped up and lose control, it only takes one person to get it going. So you remove the agitation - you calm the crowd. I am not saying you were not wrong but it was an emotional scene. People in this type of situation just want to help and "fix" it.

I am glad you stopped, and if I were that person I would want someone like you right there.

 

[disney_mommy]

Wow what a nasty response to someone who had to make a decision 9yrs ago when her own child was hospitalized

indimom - Please try to let the guilt go - there is nothing you could have done.

I agree, it's okay to let the guilt go. That was a long time ago, and you did what you thought was best at the time.

 

[tmarquez]

Who are you mad at? The police?

The police are not trained medical people, you said you aren't either, and neither am I...but I've always heard not to move an injured person so I think you probably shouldn't physically restrain them either.

The police were there to control the scene...and that's what they did. I see you are in central Florida...if you felt the police were too gruff with you, maybe they are still on edge from what happened to the deputy in Orange county recently.

To day DW and I was driving thru downtown when we seen a car nail a pedestrain crossing the street.We automaticly stopped and I ran too see the person that got hit.He was a older fellow,he was covered with blood and it was comming from his mouth.Buy this time a crowd grew.I told the guy DO NOT MOVE you just got hit by a car.He did'nt responde.His eyes were rolling up and clearly out of it.But his body I guess was telling him to get up.I restrained him alittle from moving and tryied talking to him to calm him down,but this guy was strong so I only restained him as much as possible without adding more injury then he already had recieved.I took off my jacket to help him from pounding his head in the ground everytime he moved.

Well what seemed like a hour,it was only minutes cops showed up.I was like great some help.But they told me to stop what I was doing very sturnly.I did'nt and one grabbed me and pulled me off the guy.I watched for at least 5mins this guy struggling in pain till the paremedics showed up.NOT ONE cop touched him.I was so mad I started yelling at them.They told me to stop or I'll be put in cuffs.

My DW is a nurse and told me after that touching a hurt person in the great state of FLORIDA you can hurt them more and be opened to bieng suid by him or family.

This is what you get for caring about your fellow man,then the HELL with it anymore!!!!!!!

 

[Liberty Belle]

If his eyes were rolled back in his head and he was out of it, and his body was moving involuntarily, perhaps the police officers thought the man may be having a seizure. It wouldn't be out of the question, especially if he had a possible head injury and an unknown health history. If a person is having a seizure, putting a jacket down to protect his head is a very good thing to do, but he shouldn't be restrained. Restraining someone who is having a seizure could cause further injury, including muscle injuries and broken bones, and as emergency responders, they've probably learned that in training. Maybe they weren't sure whether he was seizing or not and wanted be on the safe side.

If that were the case, the officers should still have been right next to him, talking to him to try and calm him down. All police officers should be required to be first responders or at least have first aid.

 

[Agri]

If that were the case, the officers should still have been right next to him, talking to him to try and calm him down. All police officers should be required to be first responders or at least have first aid.

So just how do you calm down someone who is in the midst of a seizure?

I always thought the protocol for a suspected seizure was to clear the area to prevent possible injuries until it was over, not stand near the person so that they could harm you or his/herself.

I guess I really don't get what everyone thinks the police officers could have done beyond clearing the area when they were the only personnel there.

I remember an Unsolved Mysteries episode where a man lifted a woman's head up so she could breathe and it was just pure dumb luck he held it properly as it was not trained at all to do so. She wanted to thank her Good Samaritan, but that situation could have easily gone horribly wrong, despite his heart being in the right place. He could have easily been saying "Sorry you'll never walk again, but I thought I was doing the right thing."

 

[Liberty Belle]

So just how do you calm down someone who is in the midst of a seizure?

I always thought the protocol for a suspected seizure was to clear the area to prevent possible injuries until it was over, not stand near the person so that they could harm you or his/herself.

I guess I really don't get what everyone thinks the police officers could have done beyond clearing the area when they were the only personnel there.

I remember an Unsolved Mysteries episode where a man lifted a woman's head up so she could breathe and it was just pure dumb luck he held it properly as it was not trained at all to do so. She wanted to thank her Good Samaritan, but that situation could have easily gone horribly wrong, despite his heart being in the right place. He could have easily been saying "Sorry you'll never walk again, but I thought I was doing the right thing."

First, we don't know if he was having a seizure. I'm not saying the police should necessarily have touched him, but been by him to help, if needed (and by him, I mean kneeling down, etc).

I don't know if the protocol is different for adults, but I was trained that if a child was having a seizure, you should help them safely to the ground, if they're not already there, talking calmly to them, and staying next to them until it's over. I'm sure some seizures are different, but with two of our students who had seizures, this is what we were supposed to do. Often I had to hold them (because they'd slump over on me or grab me).

I still think all police officers should be required to be first responders.

 

[mjkacmom]

I'm sure the officers followed the procedures they were trained to do. I'm sure they didn't arrive at the scene of a pedestrian who was hit by a car, and wonder what they should do. Yelling at them, telling them to do something that goes against protocal, is not a good idea.

 

[C.Ann]

I always carry surgical type gloves in my car (as does every driver in this household) for just this reason..

While I would not have attempted to restrain him (does sound like a seizure), I would have covered him with a blanket - which we also carry in our cars - to prevent the possibility of him going into shock..

If he had blood "spurting" from somewhere, I would apply pressure..

And if he were in any clear-cut danger of being struck again (or he was in a car that was on fire), I would do my very best to move him - regardless..

Don't police officers at least carry a blanket in their squad cars??

Thanks for being a decent, caring human being..