Messed up calls.

TgerFoxMark

TgerFoxMark

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i think i will throw one of my messed up events in.

I am OFF DUTY at college hanging out with my geeky friends at a LARP (live action role playing) [YES, IM A NERD] the feild where we play is within sight of 3 MAJOR hospitals. 2 Trauma 1's and a teaching hospital. Man walks out of the teaching hospital, crosses the road safely, meets up with his family infront of the hotel on the sidewalk. hugs all around. (i was *dead* in game so i was watching this.) Campus Parking vehicle rounds the corner, accelerates like mad, 40+MPH in less than 200Ft. hops the curb and hits the man, his wife, and wings the daughter. I ran to my truck and grabbed my jump bag. (small trauma kit from ferno) and dash to the scene.

Man is agonal, and loosing a massive amount of blood from an open skull fracture. His wife has a obviously boken femur. I do abc's on her, she is yelling at me to go help her husband. (911 was called by several of the Larpers) so I'm an off duty basic, I have one of my friends glove up and hold c-spine (Nursing senior) while i try to do what i can. someone flags down a private ambulance begging for help since i cant do all that much. (He is breathing, with assistance from a pocket mask, and has a weak pulse. im trying to stop the bleeding and do vent.) They stop and jump out to help, medic to my pt, basic to his wife.

We still have no 911 response on scene. (dispaching hospital with their name on the rigs is about 1000 ft away.) the private co.'s ride along finds out that my pt was just released after triple bypass. medic now has me bagging the pt. he is CTD. Local EMS shows up and takes over my Pt. (we will call him tom) Tom got put on a board with full precautions, and is being loaded with 2 emt-P's in the back with him. Rig two shows up for his wife with the cops. traction splint, full precautions here.

I have cleaned up and am checking out the daughter. Tender LL quadrant where the mirror hit her. swollen wrist, most likely broken, so i start basic first aid here, and she waits for the third rig.

Found out that "Tom" lived for another 2 hours, and his wife and daughter have asked to see me. I go in with my boss (was with local EMS, but off that day for classes) and they thank me for everything i did, and invite me to attend the funeral (this is several days later)

I go, in full dress uniform. and pay my respects and genenerally try to help people through the hard time.

Now. fast forward 4 months. my boss calls me and say they are trying to sue me now, for not having done more to save Tom. the hospital backs me up and i had stayed in my scope of practice as an off duty EMT-B to the letter. the case was dropped as CCTV from the hotel the incident was infront of showed exactly what I did.

They got the school for 3Mil. BUT they were trying to get another 1 mil from me. (i doubt i will ever have a million dollars. IM NOT A DOC)

I just want to get some input on what you guys think of this.
ps sorry if it runs on, i am exausted, and need some sleep.
AND go ahead and post your odd things too! i think this will help me drop this one out of my mind some. and i hope the thread does the same for you

YAY ! Group CISD!
 
....so what was thier specific complaint aganist you. As a party to litigation you should have been served with a copy of the complaint.

I guess they were trying to hit the legal lotto against you.

This is a prime example as to why nobody wants to help anyone anymore.

Funny how they thanked you out of one side of thier mouth, invite you to the funeral and then try to sue you

SOOO sad!
 
Well for one, don't let this upset you. You didn't hit him with the car, you didn't kill him, it sounds like you did all you could to try and prevent his death but people die. People die every single day, and every single person dies and there is NOTHING we can do to change that. We can give them more time And you did, you gave him a whole two hours more. You should be proud of that, you gave him a fighting chance, and you gave time for his family to say goodbye.

Secondly, people are totally sue happy. You could save them from killing themselves and they will turn around and sue. Why? Because America is money hungry. Be careful, watch your back out there. It sounds like you did what you could, and what you should have. You triaged, treated the most survivable but critically injured first, and once stabilized to your best ability, went back to the other patient.

Good job :]
 
Yea that sounds pretty familiar, someone tragically dies and the family wants a big fat pay check. Seems like you did everything you could but hey when it's your time to go it's your time to go. Maybe someone should inform that family that you didn't have to do anything in the first place! Here in CA being off duty you would have had no duty to act, wonder what they would of thought then.
 
Here in Indiana we have a duty to act, even when off duty.
Its made me late for work, doctors apointments as well as dates.
 
I'd recommend playing your games farther away from the hospital next time...............

I'm curious as to your "required duty to act". What about if you have been enjoying a nice cold alcoholic beverage. Does your legislation still actually expect you to act?

What about out of state medics? I have friends in Evansville. We like to go out and have a couple of cold ones when I'm there. If I witness an MVA, I will not stop, nor will I render aid. What is the specific ruling on this? Just curious.................
 
Im not sure on the out of state requirements, altho i do know that if you have been drinking you are not expected to respond... i will say i see more than a few people who try to.
 
TgerFoxMark said:
Here in Indiana we have a duty to act, even when off duty.
Click to expand...

Can you find the statute or administrative law that states this? In ten years, you are the first person I have heard say this. I have always been taught that there is no duty to act while off duty.

I have just spent the last hour and a half or so trying to find the actual law that states what you claim. So far, I haven't had any luck.
 
Tough break….It just shows how insensible and vicious some people are. They always need someone to blame, even if it was the EMT who did the best they could.

Did they ever catch the guy that hit them?
 
TgerFoxMark said:
Im not sure on the out of state requirements, altho i do know that if you have been drinking you are not expected to respond... i will say i see more than a few people who try to.
Click to expand...

Then just say you have been drinking next time, then you won't have to get sucked into someone elses drama. Simple enough.

If it makes you feel better and clears your conscious, then call 911 and get responders on the way.

This example is precisely why I will not get involved in other peoples issues off duty. Too much drama and liability.
 
You did what you could, and to thank you for it and then try an sue you, is pretty two faced, if you ask me!
Money is never going to bring back your loved ones!
If people want to benefit financially from their loved ones deaths, take out a good Life Insurance Policy!

I'm sorry for the blunt comments, but I'll never understand the suing business in the USA.
I'm suprised any of you want to help people, with that thought in the back of your minds.
It can be a thankless job at the best of times, yet most of us do it for the good of mankind, and love what we do!

I'm glad you were cleared of any blame, that is justice!
Carry on the good work!

Cheers Enjoynz
 
Epi-do said:
Can you find the statute or administrative law that states this? In ten years, you are the first person I have heard say this. I have always been taught that there is no duty to act while off duty.

I have just spent the last hour and a half or so trying to find the actual law that states what you claim. So far, I haven't had any luck.
Click to expand...

You are correct in that you may not find a law stating duty to act. There are too many fair labor laws, workmen's comp and "is the employer responsible if not on duty" issues that would have to be addressed.

Rather than to attempt to make everyone legally liable, some states have rewritten or revised their Good Sam laws to encourage people to act without fear of liablilty rather than making it a "duty to act" where someone will have to be liable for any actions or inaction taken.

http://healthyamericans.org/reports/bioterror07/2007StateComparisonTable.pdf
 
Thanks for the link, Vent. I did know we are covered under IN's Good Sam law, but to my knowledge, it doesn't require that we stop. The only people required to stop are those involved in the accident, and any on-duty public safety/EMS providers dispatched to that location.
 
Anyone else read through that and think they would have black tagged the guy and gone straight to the wife since it's technically a MCI? Agonal respirations is borderline as far as do you consider them breathing or not.
 
I did consider it. but did not because i felt that there was a chance,. I was wrong, but hey, the ink on m y cert was only 3mo. old at that point. Very little street time.
 
Triage that close to hospital not as critical, and imagine the lawsuit then!

I talked to a lawyer friend once about this sort of phenomenon. Yes there are such, and I have family and their offspring to prove it!

The family usually does not suddenly decide to strike it rich, it is usually their attorney. It is getting so that the family finds that medical bills leave them stripped, so they try to recover through suit. If the lawyer doesn't try every pocket to the max, she/he is negligent by the common standard of practice and could be in turn held liable for malpractice (plus, the longer the suit and the bigger the award the more the lawyer makes). Bigger entities like hospitals don't step up and accept responsibilities, they retain big lawyers whose job it is to use any means to delay, mitigate, or completely fend off suits and keep their expensive retainers and contingency fees.
 
TgerFoxMark said:
I did consider it. but did not because i felt that there was a chance,. I was wrong, but hey, the ink on m y cert was only 3mo. old at that point. Very little street time.
Click to expand...

i'm not trying to second guess your judgment since I wasn't on scene to really form an impression it's hard to be able to say. The only thing is dead from trauma stay dead from trauma. In a way by working with the husband you did treat the wife by doing what she wanted it would keep her calm which can be the best thing for her at that point
 
wow, people are seemingly tricky when it comes to making a lot of money. Yes their family member passed and they are feeling a variety of emotions, however everything was correctly done. Great story!
 
I knew people could be scantless but damn that is just wrong. To invite you to the funeral then turn around and try to sue. Someone mentioned a lawyers idea, more than likely. I am not a big fan of lawyers to begin with. They are money hungry and really dont care who gets hurt in the process.

I will remember this story when I finally get licensed, and am working in the feild. It is a shame that people get dogged out when they want to help people. It is a damned if you do and damned if you dont I suppose.

It is what it is.
 
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