injured: My encounter with police, ambulance, citizens, refused to help me

If you couldn't hobble, then there was the chance it was broken, so I would've called a taxi, to go to the hospital casualty to get pain killers and have it xrayed, or home.

On the other hand, taxis aren't ambulances. People have died in taxis because they wouldn't call an ambulance. It depends. If there's blood involved, or if it's a breathing emergency, never, never call a taxi. They don't want to be cleaning your damn blood out of their car, and there's also usually an extra $50 on top of the fare if you bleed in taxi,which leaves distressed bleeding people hating taxis but which is perfectly justified IMO. How about the taxi driver bleeds in your car? How much for you to clean that up?

But a twisted ankle? I'm very surprised the cop didn't ask if he should call a taxi, since he mentioned that he wasn't a taxi himself(!).

It is sad to think that is how people responded in your situation but I don't have enough information to make complete judgment.

I know what I would have done because I was put in a similar situation years ago where I had to help a guy who had been in a bike accident on a isolated country road. I was on my way home from work when this took place.

I picked his butt up and put him in my truck, loaded his recumbent trike bike in to the back(it was heavy) and drove him to his apartment.

I am 5-7 150lbs he was 6-2 200 lbs.

I helped him into his apartment ,got his trike out of the back of the truck and brought it in to his apartment and stayed until he called somebody to come over there.

Turns out the guy was handicapped(cerebral palsy) and rode this trike all over the place.It was brand new and the rear bearing on one of the wheels had no grease.

It heated the axle up and one of the rear tires just fell off as he was pedaling(with his hands) down the street.Because of his condition he couldn't get up by his self.

Tossed him right into the roadway when it did. He was lucky I happened to pass by the T-road and looked down it and saw him lying there in the roadway waving one arm.

I got home that night almost 2 hours late(I was going home when I saw him). My wife was furious because dinner was cold and because I never called her(no cellphones back then) to tell her where I was.

Then I started telling her this weird story about the handicapped biker who was laying in the middle of the road that I had to take home and of course she didn't believe me.

I could have just kept on driving on down the road but I wouldn't have been able to live with myself knowing I could have helped some one.

I always assume that somewhere there is this book that all your good deeds are listed in. Someday when I get to the pearly gates .... I hope to have more than one line on one page under my name.

I went to sleep with a smile on my face that night.

If you was to hurt to walk then you was hurt enough to go to the hospital. I know how bad a sprained ankle can be. I have had so many that I have had surgery to tighten the ligaments by heating them because they were stretched so much every time I walked I sprained it.

So I can understand why they didn't give you a ride home. If your ankle wasn't that much of a concern for you to go to the hospital, chances are you was able to walk.

If you don't go to the hospital because you are unable to walk, what are you willing to go for?

reply to post by Frogs


Yeah, I've only had good experiences with cops myself

When I was in high school, I was driving to Olive Garden for our football team's pre-game meal. We all drove our own cars and such. I hadn't noticed but I was almost out of gas. I ended up running out of gas halfway between the school and the Olive Garden. Luckily, the school resource officer (City PD officer assigned to our school) happened to pass by. He gave me a ride home to get a gas can, to the store to get gas, then back to my car so I could make it to the pre-game meal

The best advice I can give is to bring this to the floor at your next city council meeting. Let your community know what happened to you.

I guarantee once this gets out in the open there will be a lot more people concerned about what might happen to them in their community if a similiar event were to occur to them, or a family member.

That should get some results, and get people talking.

And, at the very least - it will be a matter of public record in case this sort of behavior continues, and no one likes a negative paper trail in politics on their watch.

You can also write in to your local paper via an editorial comment, or talk to a local journalist for your community newspaper who might want to bring your misfortune to light.

Explore every alternative to get your story heard within your community - those are the people most likely to get policy changed and/or get you some sort of apology from the offending parties.

If all else fails, ask a lawyer if you have any legal recourse.

Being on the verge of hypothermia is not something a paramedic should be so "casual" about. You were within your rights to refuse a ride to the hospital, but he was negligent in performing his duties as a EMT by not offering you any sort of assistance in regards to a blanket.

I hope you're feeling better and my heart goes out to you for your ordeal.

No one should be subjected to such callous, robotic and impersonal civil servants in such a scenario!

Originally posted by onetruesaxon
The cop was absolutely right, he's not a taxi service.

The paramedics were right, if you didnt feel you needed to go to hospital why should they ferry you about. Your ankle is either hurt and needs treatment or you've just strained it and your capable of making your own way home.

Thats the problem...too many people think the World owes them and they should be waited on hand and foot.

Your the problem - we are not cave men anymore pal - if you were in a world surrounded by blokes like you it wouldn't be long before you took to eating each other.

ESAD

to the op,
that sucks. its so sad when society deems everyone a criminal at first glance.
what ever happened to community? (macronomics?)

and to frog,
i have been there as well. so sad.
we used to have a running joke in colorado that went to the tune of:
" what do you call a hitch hiker in colorado?" ---- "answer: f*cked"

it's so sad we have this fear jelly we have to live in.

Originally posted by BeyondBelow
reply to post by onetruesaxon

 

Yeah excellent mentality, by the way, both of those services and their respective agencies would actually owe him somthing seeing as how it was in his community that he pays taxes in. Also I once got my car towed by the very same cop that gave me a ride home after ticketing me and towing my car.

They owe him nothing. Does the word Emergency services not give you a clue about their role? Responding and dealing with emergencies perhaps, not giving rides home to people for all they know could just be trying to play them for a free ride. Some people need to grow up and stop being so dependent on others.

Sorry to hear about your bad night,

Besides the cop and ambulance tech who really have their hands tied in situation like this, I am more appalled by the people who just drove on by, or who stopped and stared at you in pain on the ground.

Like it was stated before, You must live in the late great United States of Abusers. No offense intended on that.

A little story:
I moved to Kitchener, Ontario, and had stopped drinking for a couple months, but decided to go to local bar to shoot some pool and have a couple drinks. Meant some really nice people at the bar, kicked some asX in pool, and drank like there was no tomorrow. After I left the bar, I was going to call a cab, but was a little, ok very drunk, so I decided to walk some of the way to clear my head. I slipped on the ice, and hurt my knee (i had knee problems before and after this event). I kept trying to get up, but the ice was really slick, so I get falling back down. I lay on the ground, thinking about how great the night was, I was just looking at the stars, trying to clear the fog in my head, when the first car passed by, They stopped and picked me up. They were concerned that I was laying on the ice. I informed them that i was not homeless, but slipped and hurt my knee and that I was just laying there to gather strength. they insisted on driving me home. After I refused many times (i was worried about being brought somewhere and being cut up and I even mentioned this to them, they laughed, which made me more uneasy, but they ended up being nice folk)

They drove me home, I lived in secured condo at the time, walked me to the elevator, and walked me down the very long hall to my apartment at the end. They wanted to bring me into the apartment, but at this point my head was really clearing up, and I told them, that their help was very nice, but This is where we part ways. I tried to give them money but they refused repeatedly.

Anyways all that to say that this is what should have happened to you. They should have helped you. Sicking.

Come move to Canada. The people are nicer here.

reply to post by maus80


Hmm. Maus80 I wonder if we are related. That is exactly what happened to my Grandmother about 10 years ago. It breaks my heart that people aren't willing to lend a hand. I think a lot of it has to do with your upbringing. I can say with 100% certainty that I would always help a stranger in need.

Last winter I was driving to work during rush hour while there was a horrendous snow storm going on. Some jackass was driving WAY too fast and started careening out of control from the oncoming lane right towards me. In a split decision I yanked my wheel to the right to avoid an head on collision and *BAM* slammed into a fairly deep ditch. The jackass just kept going and didn't bother to see if I was ok. There were several cars directly behind me and not one of them stopped or even slowed down to check on me. Thank God I had already dropped my 2 little ones off at daycare. Luckily I had my cell phone and called for help. I sat there for a good hour and NOT ONE person stopped to see if I was ok or if I needed help. They probably assumed I was the one driving too fast and got myself in the situation.

I myself have stopped many times and offered to call for help for people in similar situations. It is a sad state of affairs these days.

Originally posted by onetruesaxon
The cop was absolutely right, he's not a taxi service.

The paramedics were right, if you didnt feel you needed to go to hospital why should they ferry you about. Your ankle is either hurt and needs treatment or you've just strained it and your capable of making your own way home.

Thats the problem...too many people think the World owes them and they should be waited on hand and foot.

sorry bud but you musta never had a really bad sprain, the kind you cant put any weight on at all but you know doesnt need a doctor and 100 dollar ER visit then have to deal with insurance company to get your money back... sounds like your a youngun...

like to see you get back home with 1 leg 1.5 miles away...you know i didnt think it was a big deal, i wasnt making it a big deal, i thought it would be simple someone would help me out, otherwise i woulda called a bunch of friends right when it happened, i just layed there on the ground for a while chilled and looked at the stars, i think your making me out to be something i wasn't, i didnt really care.... it just started pissin me off when ambulance guy said they would have to leave me there...yes the cop should give me a ride home it was down 1 road and my house was at the end of that road. but why am i bothering responding to a troll? who knows....im sorry your father was a nazi i dont like there ways.

Originally posted by bigspud
reply to post by sty

 

wow, go running at night, and fall down, u do need help.

your funny...not sure why you bothered posting tho? welcome to the forums troll.

Originally posted by jd140
If you was to hurt to walk then you was hurt enough to go to the hospital. I know how bad a sprained ankle can be. I have had so many that I have had surgery to tighten the ligaments by heating them because they were stretched so much every time I walked I sprained it.

So I can understand why they didn't give you a ride home. If your ankle wasn't that much of a concern for you to go to the hospital, chances are you was able to walk.

If you don't go to the hospital because you are unable to walk, what are you willing to go for?

sorry friend your speaking from experience, mine is, my ankle is badly sprained doctors can do nothing but give me a 100 dollar bill and a ace bandage that i have at my house. im in tuned with my injuries and know when i need a hospital or rest, im not wasting my time just to give their greedy ass money that they dont deserve. i could not put any weight on my ankle does not mean i need the hospital. thx. ive done this twice before, this is third time, and yes i went to hospital both times and same story, they do no good. and i have broken several bones over my lifetime i know the difference and know when i need them or not. the reasoning of as you listed above for them not giving me a ride goes beyond insanity and puts too much assumption ahead of the individual needs. Whether that person be stubborn or not, whether he is wrong or right to go home and not to the hospital does not matter. to help a fellow human out is all you should know. everything else is over thinking the matter.

Originally posted by onetruesaxon

Originally posted by BeyondBelow
reply to post by onetruesaxon

 

Yeah excellent mentality, by the way, both of those services and their respective agencies would actually owe him somthing seeing as how it was in his community that he pays taxes in. Also I once got my car towed by the very same cop that gave me a ride home after ticketing me and towing my car.

They owe him nothing. Does the word Emergency services not give you a clue about their role? Responding and dealing with emergencies perhaps, not giving rides home to people for all they know could just be trying to play them for a free ride. Some people need to grow up and stop being so dependent on others.

you should know i did not call the ambulance, it was the lady who refused to give me a ride home that said she was calling the cops, she never mentioned the ambulance or i would have immediately told her not to... i agree the ambulance had no purpose being there, i immediately told them this when they arrived...the cop should have given me a ride home end of story

[edit on 26-3-2009 by daersoulkeeper]

Slightly off topic, but sort of staying on topic.....

I picked up my first hitch hiker the other week. I was driving back from doing some shopping on a sunday afternoon, as i drive through some lanes, I see a jogger who is hobbling, and as i pass him he hangs an arm out. I stop and gave him a lift to where he wanted to go, it wasn't out of my way but i wouldn't have minded if it was. Poor bloke was injured, quite obviously (ok he could have been faking it) and he said that he'd been trying to get a lift for about an hour. As he hurt himself about 4 miles into a 10 mile run.

So, there are still people willing to help, I'm one of them and I can't be the only one.

I'm sorry you had a bad night of it, it certainly sounds like a horrible situation to find yourself in.

Would you have stopped if you'd seen someone who looked like they needed help?

[edit on 26/3/2009 by Acidtastic]

I feel your frustration Soulkeeper

Little story about myself I would like to share.

Up until Oct of 2008 I was working customer service at
a cable company, the job felt more like corporate service
then customer service, I was basically powerless to resolve
any customer complaints and corporate management only cared
about pushing for a higher level of service from the customer.
I dealt with it because it was a paycheck and aside from the
frustration it was a pretty laid back job.
I had worked for them for 5 years.

My wife was involved in a car accident in June of 2008 and I had
left during shift and took the next day off to care for her, her legs
were badly bruised and burned so she could not walk well.
The day I returned my supervisor told me that I would have to
be written up for taking a unapproved absence.
I reminded them of the accident and they told me the company comes
before any family emergency.
I calmly told them to F*** off basically, and if I would not be
respected as a human being then I would not respect any of
their policies.
They waited another 3 months before they fired me.

That experience led me to a change of lifestyle and I have enrolled
into an EMT course and eventually obtain LPN and Paramedic certs.

I have no place in my life anymore for any persons that would
put money or their own selfish interests before helping a person that
is truly in need or support.


I am a little surprised that the ambulance crew did not even treat your hypothermia, and the protocol for most states would find them guilty of misconduct at least, or patient abandonment at worst.
Did they present you with a denial of treatment form to sign ?
If they did there was your personal safety issue, and the cop should have tried harder to ensure that.

I had a horrible experience as well just before christmas last year, I walking down a side street and was jumped, pepper sprayed by 5-6 people. They took $40.00. It was the most frustrating, degrading feeling i think i have ever felt.

Due to the close contact when i got sprayed, i was temporarily blinded for over 2 hours it was minus 25 out( i live in Canada) and all i could do is crawl on the sidewalk to where i heard noise of people, The people i encountered all thought i was drugged up, but i was hysterical, people where actual making fun of me and how i was acting like a baby. I finally started to harass a local business (club or bar) and they told me to get lose until i started to scream, and hollar then they called the police on me cause i was hurting there business for being there, they wouldnt give me water to wash my eyes out, nothing.

Police Show up and asked me what i am Selling! I say What? have just been assaulted and you think i'm a drug dealer? I need help here. finally abumbulance shows and helps wash me eyes to the point i can actually open them for a second at a time. Police check me out and take my story, i ask for a ride home, they refused at first, but after crying and not knowing how or even if i can make it in the state i was in they aggree to take me in the direction and area i live, and they dropped me i block from my house.

I hear ya, People are Scared to help, Police Dont want to usually, and are very bias.

This happened to my mother when she had my two very little kids with her. She had snapped her foot right off. Passersby did almost nothing, no help with the kids. She laid on the ground and someone went and got HER phone from her house. Then left.

I was there in about 15 minutes. The ambulance came in another 10.

Unfreaking believable. Woman on the side of the road with two children under 4 unstrapped from their stroller, and no one did SQUAT.

Originally posted by Patriot36

Did they present you with a denial of treatment form to sign ?
If they did there was your personal safety issue, and the cop should have tried harder to ensure that.

Yes they did present that form, they told me it wasn't a bill and i would not get any bill so i signed it, between the pain and shivering i wasn't thinking of anything but the moment.... i could think now i should have gotten the cops name or badge number but truth be told id rather let this die then have a cop who hates me locally. cops these days can really make your life bad...our rights...well we don't really have many of them anymore. good to hear you are a kind EMT unlike this guy was...

reply to post by onetruesaxon


Have you ever heard the saying that sometimes what is perfectly just is the ultimate injustice? I mean honestly man, that's a lawyer's logic you're using. Whether he was a cop or a taxi driver or a circus freak, if you see someone freezing on the side of the road, the right thing to do is to help them home. He might not hold the right over you, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't help him.