Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Good Samaritans

This evening, walking home, I saw an old man lying down on the sidewalk, and his head was bleeding. Two people were in the process of calling 911. A bar full of people across the street were staring. Right after the call was made, a nurse and then a doctor happened to walk by. They made sure he had vitals and was breathing. In just a couple minutes, the paramedics made it over, and took him to the hospital. When I left the scene, he was talking, but still seemed kind of out of it.

How long had this man been laying on the street, with people just walking right by? The people who were calling 911 said he had been laying down when they found him.

Thank goodness the nurse and the doctor happened to be close by.

Why didn't I take action? Several years ago, I was trained in CPR, and although the certification has expired, even I know to look for vitals. I felt completely helpless standing there, watching others help out. Yet I couldn't even move. 

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