What would you do?- Page 2

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 6/1/13 at 9:02pm

According to the site below, racing with a heart attack victim to the hospital is already a bad idea. Call for an ambulance; they usually arrive with defibrillators, oxygen tanks and trained EMTs.

http://www.emergencycareforyou.org/EmergencyManual/WhatToDoInMedicalEmergency/Default.aspx?id=252

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 6/1/13 at 9:35pm

GavestonPS, the question is: how quickly will an ambulance arrive vs how fast can you get the patient there? As in the story I linked to (albeit it wasn't a heart attack), the patient was less than a mile from the hospital yet it was at least (according to the son) 10 minutes before the ambulance arrived.

@Phyl, yes, I wondered about that too, but perhaps she nearly sideswiped a car or did something else to attract the officer's attention in her panic to get out of the parking lot. Maybe Joe's right - maybe this is a false story. I still wonder what " She is in her 40s, she doesn't look like some nut case or anything" means.

In my case, we were in a fairly rural area, no other hospitals around and we were already on the road, which was a fairly deserted interstate at that hour. An ambulance could not have gotten out to me and back to the hospital faster than I could get to the hospital myself. Had I had it to do over again, the sole thing I would have done differently would have been to call 911 sooner, though I doubt it would have made much difference. My sibling had also called my parent's doctor, who had a team waiting. When we arrived, my parent had no discernable blood pressure, was very near death, but three years later, is hale and hearty.

I would do the same thing again, even if it meant arrest, which has also happened to others in my predicament.

eta: I did use hazard lights and headlights throughout, and flew a white pillowcase out the window (which in the south, indicates an emergency of some sort).

Updated On: 6/1/13 at 09:35 PM

[MusicalTheatreGeek2]

Posted: 6/2/13 at 12:16pm

I personally agree that you should stay where you are and call 999, as you may be 2 miles away and you may save time, or you may not and while speeding you may hit someone and cause someone else to die, ambulances can because they have sirens which warn people. But if you are already on your way, then the police officer not escorting you is ridiculous and feel free to sue him for all he is worth!!!