thyme4change
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Post by thyme4change on Dec 3, 2012 15:00:53 GMT -5
Today a guy who looked drunk stumbled across the street and laid down in the grass. He fell asleep, and didn't even twitch for an hour. I asked around and people thought that an hour was long enough, and that he should be checked on to make sure he didn't need medical attention. So, I called the paramedics and told them he could very well be sleeping it off. They came, the guy jumped up and walked away (still visibly drunk.) I felt bad for interrupting his nap. Glad to see he was not dead. My co-worker said that a diabetic coma looks like drunkeness, so I did the right thing. I still feel like he had a pretty sweet sleeping place going on right there, and maybe I should have given him another hour to sober up.
What would you do?
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swamp
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Post by swamp on Dec 3, 2012 15:02:42 GMT -5
take his wallet.
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thyme4change
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Post by thyme4change on Dec 3, 2012 15:03:20 GMT -5
I doubt he had one. I also don't believe he had any house keys, unless it was to a locker at the bus station.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 3, 2012 16:03:54 GMT -5
buy him a pair of boots
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Post by illinicheme on Dec 3, 2012 16:05:04 GMT -5
We've definitely gotten involved before. There was a drunk at a very public place (high-profile tourist area) that was lying under a bush in such an unnatural way that it legitimately looked like a dead body. So DH notified the authorities. When the person turned out to be alive, just drunk and homeless, he felt kind of bad for causing such a scene (tons of police cars/fire trucks), but we would have never been able to live with ourselves if we hadn't said something.
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kittensaver
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Post by kittensaver on Dec 3, 2012 16:08:54 GMT -5
I think you did the right thing. How you would feel if it turned out he was dying (in the middle of a heart attack or some other severe medical problem) and no one had intervened when you could have saved his life? If he was only drunk, well - he's the one who gets to deal the fall-out (if there is any). Good for you for erring on the side of care and caution.
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Mardi Gras Audrey
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Post by Mardi Gras Audrey on Dec 3, 2012 16:45:31 GMT -5
Good for you for stepping in. I always hesitate... not wanting to make a scene or embarrass the person or myself. But it's great that you stepped in and made sure he was all right. Last summer, I was driving home from a class and there was a woman on the side of the road. It looked like she was either dead or passed out. It was like 100 degrees that day so I was worried she had heat stroke. I didn't have anything (water, gatorade, etc) in my car so I ended up stopping at a minimart, getting a water, and driving back over to her (It was kinda hard to find her... the class was in a city I'm not familiar with and it was on a busy one way street). She ended up being just tired and exhausted (She responded after I went up to her). She took the water and the started walking towards a more shaded area (She was on concrete in an area with no trees). It made me feel good that she was okay. I was worried about her mugging me a little when I first walked up to her though..
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 3, 2012 16:56:04 GMT -5
Several years ago, my brother was stuck in rush hour traffic. One intersection was moving particularly slow because of a vehicle that was not moving. All the other traffic was just going around him (flipping the bird and cussing him out). My brother pulled up behind the car, set his flashers, and approached the driver to see if he could help get the car out of the road. The driver was dead. Had a heart attack waiting for the light to change, his foot still on the brake.
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Tiny
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Post by Tiny on Dec 3, 2012 17:00:11 GMT -5
Hmmm, maybe it was one of my family members... although they tend to find a tree/shed/car/building or something to 'dock' next too as opposed to open ground. I'm rather cold hearted when it comes to public drunkeness (as I HAVE had relatives sleep it off in the yard because they were too drunk to get into the house). So, I'd make the "There's a passed out drunk guy who I don't know sleeping under a tree" call to the police. I tend to think 'drunk' before "diabetic coma" or "heart attack"....
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Tiny
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Post by Tiny on Dec 3, 2012 17:03:06 GMT -5
.....not wanting to make a scene or embarrass the person or myself.Believe me, you aren't gonna embarrass the drunk person passed out in public... odds are it's not the first time and they've probably got a lot of 'defensive mechanisms' and 'rationalizations' for their behavior. If anything, you will probably incur the wrath of the drunk - cause it's not their fault/they aren't doing anything wrong.
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Mardi Gras Audrey
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Post by Mardi Gras Audrey on Dec 3, 2012 17:12:26 GMT -5
.....not wanting to make a scene or embarrass the person or myself.Believe me, you aren't gonna embarrass the drunk person passed out in public... odds are it's not the first time and they've probably got a lot of 'defensive mechanisms' and 'rationalizations' for their behavior. If anything, you will probably incur the wrath of the drunk - cause it's not their fault/they aren't doing anything wrong. I know... it's usually because I don't assume that they are drunk. I've been in some situations where I needed to sit/lay down for a few minutes and it was mortifying to me to have people trying to call medical personnel (These situations never involved alcohol, usually just a lot of dizziness or really low blood pressure). I really appreciated that people are willing to help but getting an ambulance for something like low blood pressure is . I guess I just assume others are like me and would be embarrassed for "all the commotion". (Full disclosure: I don't pass out in public regularly but it has happened a few times, usually after donating blood).
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kgb18
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Post by kgb18 on Dec 3, 2012 18:39:36 GMT -5
I would have called. I called on the guy shooting up heroin in the parking lot last week. The thought of him either ODing or driving around completely high wasn't worth the risk of not calling.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 3, 2012 20:09:53 GMT -5
Callling the ambulance was absolutely the right thing to do. He might have been drunk OR it could be someone having a stroke, petit mal seizure, overdose, hypoglycemic reaction or many other things. That was absolutely the right course of action. I don't think i would have waited an hour. I would have probably checked him out, asked him if he was ok and then go call then.
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Formerly SK
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Post by Formerly SK on Dec 4, 2012 9:38:27 GMT -5
I would have checked on him myself, and then called the ambulance if he didn't respond.
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thyme4change
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Post by thyme4change on Dec 4, 2012 10:27:52 GMT -5
He was between a tree and a building, but he was in the sunny part, because it was somewhat chilly. It actually looks like a pretty good napping spot, with the exception of the busy street and well-traveled side-walk 3 feet away.
I definitely thought "drunk" - I was more concerned that he was so drunk he would choke on his own barf, or whatever else goes wrong with drunks. Granted, he was on his side, so the barf thing was highly unlikely. It was a co-worker who mentioned that diabetic comas look like drunkenness from a distance. Stumbling, disoriented, weak. I still thought we were in a 95% + chances of drunkenness. And it appears that we were. He stumbled down the street, and probably found a different grassy, sunny patch to sleep it off.
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weltschmerz
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Post by weltschmerz on Dec 4, 2012 13:13:08 GMT -5
I always assume it's diabetes before drunkeness. A LOT of people have diabetes.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 4, 2012 13:13:36 GMT -5
A lot more people drink.
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swamp
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Post by swamp on Dec 4, 2012 13:14:48 GMT -5
When diabetics drink, it's ugly.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 4, 2012 13:17:15 GMT -5
I would have checked to see if he was breathing and if yes given him some new boots, a blanket and a scooter for when he wakes up.
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thyme4change
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Post by thyme4change on Dec 4, 2012 13:32:35 GMT -5
I opted not to go all the way down there to check on him.
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Phoenix84
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Post by Phoenix84 on Dec 4, 2012 19:05:05 GMT -5
In CPR/First Aide training they always tell us to walk up to the person and tap them lightly and ask if they're okay. If you get no response then you call paramedics.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 4, 2012 19:06:52 GMT -5
Even if he was "just a drunk". Drunk people can die too. People can die from alcohol toxicity, aspiration and so forth. If someone is unconscious, just call the ambulance and let them sort it out.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 4, 2012 19:07:21 GMT -5
In CPR/First Aide training they always tell us to walk up to the person and tap them lightly and ask if they're okay. If you get no response then you call paramedics. Annie, Annie, are you Ok!!
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Miss Tequila
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Post by Miss Tequila on Dec 4, 2012 21:01:46 GMT -5
I would have checked to see if he was breathing and if yes given him some new boots, a blanket and a scooter for when he wakes up. A scooter??? A drunk should not be driving a scooter....
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midjd
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Post by midjd on Dec 4, 2012 22:07:19 GMT -5
Annie, Annie, are you Ok!! ;D
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