The Other Side of the Fence
Strangely enough, after my question about bystanders the other day, I found myself on the other side of the fence last night.
I am a member of St John Ambulance (yes I know, another blogging Johnner! Please no pages of abuse!) and regularly attend duties at my local football ground, Leyton Orient. Generally not a lot happens first aid wise at the matches, so I get to sit on a stretcher and watch the footy for free! I think the most exciting thing I have ever dealt with is a rather tipsy bloke who felt down the stairs and allegedly sprained his ankle. It looked fine to me, but he was making a bit fuss, and was delighted with the bandage I put on, hopping off without so much as a limp, so who am I to argue?
Anyway, there I was last night, waiting for a bus to take me to the evening match against Brighton and Hove Albion. It was a horrible, rainy, night and there were fifteen million billion people waiting at the bus stop. Several buses went past, full, and a couple more stopped and opened their doors to let a few people on, then, infuriatingly, drove off again. Soon it was 7pm, the time I was supposed to be at the ground, and I was still standing in the rain, at the front of the queue at last. A bus came, and I was on my way. The bus moved off, and then lurched to a stop, near some traffic lights. A few people complained about the driver’s driving, and then a bit of fracas started breaking out, and people started getting off the bus.
“What’s going on?” asked someone.
“There’s someone under the bus!” shouted someone else.
I suddenly realised that I was standing in a bright yellow coat with “ambulance” on it and therefore all eyes were on me, expecting me to take charge of the situation. Which was unfortunate, because I am not a “taking charge” sort of person, and my area of expertise lies with sprained ankles and not people under buses, but what choice did I have? I barged my way off to the bus and round to the front where a crowd was assembled around a woman in her thirties wielding a pair of crutches and a Tesco bag. She wasn’t under the bus after all, but she was doing her best to get herself there. I asked a passer by what was going on.
“She was in the queue for the bus and didn’t get on because it was full,” he explained. “So she tried to run along side it, banging it with her crutch, shouting ‘I’m disabled, how dare you leave me here?’ and then she tripped and dropped her shopping, which went under the bus. Then she pulled herself up and ran out in front of the bus and tried to lie in the road as some kind of protest.”
About twenty people were trying to persuade the woman to come away from the front of the bus, some more politely than others. A huge queue of traffic was building up behind it, horns were beeping, and people were getting out of their cars to see what is going on.
Everyone was still looking at me expectantly, so I put on my best Taking Charge of Things voice and (after making sure someone had called the police) ordered everyone to stand back, then approached the “patient” with what I hoped was a friendly smile on my face.
“Come on love,” I said. “You can’t stay here, it’s dangerous. I’m from St John Ambulance, I can help you to the side of the road.”
“I can’t move!” she wailed. “I’ve hurt my leg. And I’m disabled. I need an ambulance!”
“But you got up and deliberately stood in front of the bus!” pointed out a bystander. “Please, madam, we’ve all got to get on. I’ve got to pick my baby up from the childminders!”
“And I’ve got to get to work,” said another man.
“And I’ve done a twelve hour shift,” said a woman in what appeared to be a nurse’s uniform. “Come on, let this man help you. Do you want him to look at your leg?”
“NO!” she bellowed, “don’t touch me!”
“I don’t think she’s hurt at all,” muttered another man.
“WHY ARE YOU ALL TURNING ON ME?” bellowed the woman. “THIS IS DISCRIMINATION AGAINST THE DISABLED!!! WHY DID YOU ALL LEAVE A DISABLED WOMAN STANDING IN THE RAIN? WHY DID YOU GET ON BEFORE ME?”
“I got on before you because I was at the front of the queue and didn’t see you were there,” I pointed out. (I always let disabled/elderly/pregnant people get on before me and have the seats on buses, but I do think this is a matter of courtesy and not something they should expect as a right.) “If you had asked politely, I’m sure all of these people would have been happy to let you go first.”
“YOU DIDN’T SEE ME!” howled the woman. “THAT’S EXACTLY MY POINT! The disabled are INVISIBLE!”
Everyone was beginning to lose their patience at this point. A man in a bomber jacket started shouting about how he too was disabled (epilepsy) and how his mother was in a wheelchair and neither of them played the card like this. Another man (rather foolishly, I thought) dived under the bus to retrieve the lady’s shopping bag (which now contained an assortment of squashed chocolate bars and a flat four pack of beer), hoping this would encourage her to move on. A black girl with her hair in a big pineapple started telling the patient she needed to go to church and have faith in God as this would stop her being angry with strangers and trying to jump under buses. I stood and flapped my arms ineffectually tried to calm everyone down whilst simultaneously persuading the patient to remove herself from the road, with equal lack of success.
What seemed like an eternity later, but probably wasn’t, two police cars drew up and ordered the lady to get up and stop lying in the road. I’m not sure if it was because they were police or just because they were better at being authoritative than I was, but after a bit of whinging about her leg and how she needed to be moved on a stretcher, she got to her feet and scuffled to the side of the road. I noticed she wasn’t even limping. I was happy to leave her in the care of the nice policeman, and got the next bus to the football ground.
I got there five minutes after kick off. Our only casualty was a man who had, for no apparent reason (other than inebriation perhaps), come out without a coat or even a jumper on and was utterly freezing. His rationale for this was “It’s okay, I live in Bounds Green.” Leyton Orient lost, 1-4. I got utterly soaked.
on February 14th, 2007 at 1:00 pm
I think I would have had considerably less patience with this selfish woman. We all have problems, but it is a measure of the person of how we deal with them. She failed that test.
on February 14th, 2007 at 1:01 pm
Woohoo, go Brighton and HA!
I’m not sure what to think about this lady. Fair enough, she’s got rights as a disabled person, but she doesn’t need to be so assertive as to lie down under a bus! Do you know what happened to her in the end, with the police?
on February 14th, 2007 at 1:06 pm
I’m assuming this happened in London? what does she expect from a big bad metropolis - maybe she should move to Glasgow
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/6357749.stm
on February 14th, 2007 at 1:22 pm
Petrolhead, bog off to Brighton and Hove Albion is what I will say! One more comment like that and you will be banned! I will not have support for the opposition on my blog
I don’t know what happened with the police, I’m afraid — as soon as she was safe I scarpered because I was already running late for the football match!
Annony, yes, this was in London. I suspect, though, that it was more to do with the large number of people, shortage of buses and the pouring rain than the location. I don’t think people were being deliberately rude, they just didn’t see her. She could easily have asked everyone to let her on first *before* the bus arrived!
on February 14th, 2007 at 1:42 pm
Run her over I reckon. Clearly not the most productive member of society! Can you feel the waves of compassion rolling off me? I’m much nicer when I’m at work (dealing with real patients), honestly!
on February 14th, 2007 at 2:48 pm
That made me smile. As a bus driver it’s almost an everyday occurance where a ‘less abled’ person has the ability to fight thier way to the front of the queue and climb the step before we’ve had a chance to lower it and then demand a mother with a buggy move so she can sit down in the unused wheelchair space leaving a walking frame or crutches sticking out as a trip hazard. bless ‘em.
on February 14th, 2007 at 3:21 pm
I live in the Leyton / Leytonstone area too, and I’ve seen a woman wait until the bus approaches and at the last minute throw herself in front of it… After she’d repeated this a few times, people stopped asking if she was ok.
Yes, she was disabled… she obviously had mental health issues.
Personally I find the best way to stop a bus is to walk to the kerb and hold out my freedom pass pointedly so they will see my stick and stop near me - but perhaps thats just me
on February 14th, 2007 at 4:21 pm
a johnie in CAC, what do the road crew say or dont they know. no abuse about blogging johnie as its mostly AC related. are you FAW or AA2.
as for the woman, i would of
A) got out a PRF filled in her name and address, told her that she had a opsion let me look at her leg or sign the treatment refusal section of the PRF and i would leave her alone. if she signed it, say loudly”ok, as you sign the treatment refusal i shall leave you alone, and walk off leaving her to it.
or B) sat with her told her you could not call a ambo until you knew what was wrong with the leg and the police where coming to make shore she did not get hit by another road user. It amazing how people will more off the road if they think they can really get hurt, moving yourself to a safer spot usually reinforces the comment.
the best thing of all is to have your coat and FA kit in a normal unmarked bag and wear a normal unmarked coat hiding your SJA markings, then you can decide if you want to do it or not, without every man and his dog staring at you.
on February 14th, 2007 at 4:45 pm
Good grief. Not all disabled people are like that - but then if she’s got the sort of special disability where after a day’s shopping she can run alongside a bus using her crutches only for bus-percussion, that probably explains a lot.
Myself, I feel like a pillock when people usher me to the front of a queue, I’m not big on being the centre of public attention when all I want to do is get home… but I’ll silently seethe when I clamber onto a full bus and twenty teenagers sit there and stare at my walking stick and then some little old lady who’s probably got similar difficulty to mine with standing, offers me her seat.
on February 14th, 2007 at 5:38 pm
Did not know you were also a Johnner - will read your blog with a different perspective now…
BTW I slept overnight in the Leytonstone SJA HQ the night before one London Marathon, when I was part of a Midslands LINKS division….that floor is hard!!
on February 14th, 2007 at 6:04 pm
Dave M — I’m just a FAW-er. I have not ever felt the need to mention this to any of the road crew as it has never really been relevant and is unlikely to endear me to anyone
I might do the ambulance aid course one day, though. I didn’t have any PRFs with me, and I think you are very right about me not travelling to duties in my uniform. The trouble is finding an appropriate place to conceal a big luminous yellow coat with “AMBULANCE” on it.
I don’t do a lot of St John work — mainly just the football duties and the odd big one like the Marathon and Lord Mayor’s Show. I’m too busy with work and trying to have some semblance of a social life to dedicate that much time to it. I might do some St John entries if anyone’s interested, although as I said earlier, there never seems to be anything major going on when I’m around!
on February 14th, 2007 at 6:20 pm
Hi-Vis jackets squash down well into stuff sacks. That’s what I do with mine when battling with busy public transport.
on February 14th, 2007 at 6:49 pm
“I always let disabled/elderly/pregnant people get on before me and have the seats on buses, but I do think this is a matter of courtesy and not something they should expect as a right.”
Glad to hear chivalry isn’t dead yet .
on February 14th, 2007 at 9:24 pm
Hello to another Johnnie! If it helps any, I’d have probably have been useless in that situation. Hide the high vis jacket is what I say! Lol.
on February 14th, 2007 at 10:22 pm
Yup, as another Johnnie, I’d also say hide it if you can, or take out the inserts. My division has uniform nights once a month, but I refuse to wear my uniform when I’m not on duty because I feel very conspicuous walking down to division (everyone else drives) in full uniform, not to mention I think it looks very unprofessional in the pub afterwards, I’d far rather be in civvies when I’m behaving as a civilian! And the hat, don’t get me started on the hat …
on February 14th, 2007 at 10:34 pm
I watched something similar to this from the window in my office building. There was one parking space on the street, and 2 cars wanted it. The car that was there first, driven by a man, properly tried to back into the space. A second car, carrying two women, blocked him by nosing him in behind him. (Parallel parking; they couldn’t have actually gotten into the space nose first, even if he hadn’t been there.) A standoff ensued that lasted at least 45 minutes. (Really impacted productivity in our office.)
The passenger in the women’s car got out and stood next to the the man’s car, arguing with him. He tried to back in a bit more, at which point she fell down, clearly howling that he’d hit her, and pointing to a large blackish mark on her leg. From above, we could clearly see that he hadn’t hit her–and it was her *other* leg (and even from 7 stories up, clearly a birthmark).
Finally, the police showed up. At that point, dozens of office workers streamed out of our building to present themselves as witnesses (my boss and I started down, but then we got to the lobby and saw how many others had come out). Meanwhile, the driver of the women’s car had a) found another parking space, b) done her shopping, and c) was ready to leave.
on February 15th, 2007 at 12:27 am
I remember interviewing a bloke years ago, he chose to tell me he had an amputation…. immediately followed by “YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT?”. Leaning forward straight in my face.
Resisting the temptation to offer him a mint I reassured him that as long as he was physically capable of doing the job (involving a lot of lifting) then he’d be just as eligible as everyone else being interviewed.
That’s equality, but all too often this type of ‘militant disabled’ person wants more than just equality.
SD
on February 15th, 2007 at 12:34 am
Welcome to Waltham Forest - There was an elderly lady at Bakers Arms in 1994 who thought she couold cross the road in front of the bus pushing her shopping trolley ahead of her, trolley contacted front wheels of bus and was pulled under, she didn’t let go of trolley and followed it. At the time I prosecuted RTC’s in South Waltham Forest, This one was NFA to bus driver.
Pull out into Lea Bridge Road in front of Ambo with blues and two’s on though, you go down for dangerous driving, especially when you hit it.
Phoned Orient once to ask when the game started and they said “When you getting here?” Orient had four fans transferred from West Ham last week though.
on February 15th, 2007 at 12:55 am
Oh I didn’t realise you were SJA, nice one! I volunteer as well, but in Edmonton… Alberta, Canada. I’m a Brit, but I moved out here a few years ago, and joined up with the brigade to keep my FAW skills current.
Since then I’ve put in quite a few hours, been involved in quite a few incidents, and have recently qualified as a Medical First Responder (the slightly cut down version of the EMR). Lots of fun.
I’m very interested in hearing about your experiences, as I often wonder how duties in Alberta differ from duties in England…
on February 15th, 2007 at 2:58 am
I agree with Mary:
“she’s got the sort of special disability where after a day’s shopping she can run alongside a bus using her crutches only for bus-percussion”
and carrying shopping too!
Clearly her disability wasn’t physical!
on February 15th, 2007 at 9:03 am
Great post! I almost feel as if i was there, in among all of those people chipping in. I’d have been the one hiding in the bus.
on February 15th, 2007 at 10:03 am
Surely it is Brighton and Hove Actually?
on February 15th, 2007 at 5:32 pm
I always find it disturbing when non-disabled people think they can diagnose whether someone is “Disabled enough” for them to accept it. Not all impairments are visible - but ignorance is.
on February 15th, 2007 at 6:37 pm
Well Chris …I find it disturbing that when disability is mentioned no one can make a comment. Could it be this woman was lying? No off course not …if it’s to do with disability then all able-bodied people must be in the wrong. Actually a lot of the comments here against this woman were made by other disabled people.
on February 15th, 2007 at 6:45 pm
I’m not disputing whether she was disabled or not. Irrespective of the severity of her disability, she did not have an automatic right to get on the bus before everyone else without even asking (people who also could have had unseen disabilities, or other reasons to need to catch that bus urgently), and certainly did not have the right to stop everyone else getting home in protest when she was not able to get on.
I think it’s quite reasonable to note that her disability didn’t prevent her staging this protest in the first place. If someone is capable of leaping in front of a bus to stop it moving, they are certainly capable of waiting patiently for another one. But on the whole, it’s irrelevant what her disability was — what bothers me is her entitlementalist, selfish attitude.
on February 15th, 2007 at 7:05 pm
I always keep my jacket in my car boot just in case I was to come across something at night and might need it. Were only allowed to wear our uniform to and from placement, and when the Uni want us to, I think that they believe that we would sleep in it if we could. As for the disabled women, I always give up my seat for someone in greater need, yet I think I would have positively refused to give it up with a manner like that. It would really annoy me, just like when people dont say thank you if you hold the door open for them.
on February 15th, 2007 at 7:44 pm
I only use the buses when it’s off peak because I use a powered wheelchair (within bus measurement regulation size). I find that even off peak, unless I get on at the first stop and off at the last one of the route, I wont manage it (can’t get off a bus or on it when people don’t move out of the way).
As far as that lady goes..not good
(for the rest of ‘us’ anyway).
on February 15th, 2007 at 8:22 pm
Entitlementalist - a splendid word.
on February 15th, 2007 at 10:26 pm
I was thinking over your post again this morning on the bus on my way into work, and something struck me as strange Mike. A queue?! Furthermore, one that sounds (fairly) orderly!?
on February 15th, 2007 at 11:18 pm
I probably gave a misleading impression. It was a sort of gaggle.
on February 16th, 2007 at 12:29 am
With my disability, if I was waiting out in the cold and in the rain my life would be in significant danger. I still might be able to run after a bus, especially if motivated by the danger of the cold. However, eventually (within a block) I would fall or paralyze running after the bus. I would then be unable to get up for 10 minutes. However, once the attack resolved I wouldn’t limp, but getting up would be awkward.
People making fun of me and the fear of being crushed while laying there helpless on the ground would prolong the length of the attack.
I was furious at all the people depicted in the crowd for their cruelty and assumptions.
I also know what it is like to be treated like I was invisible, even when I stated in advance I need extra help for my safety.
on February 16th, 2007 at 6:30 am
Miriam: remember that this woman didn’t fall in front of the bus. She tripped running for the bus, then got up and walked around to the front of the bus. Her presence there was entirely deliberate. She hadn’t even asked to get on first, but somehow expected everyone to notice her crutches, which were the only visible sign of her disability, in a large crowd in the rain and dark. She refused help — she wouldn’t let me look at her leg, she wouldn’t let us help her to the safety of the roadside, she did not even thank the man who crawled under the bus to rescue the shopping she made such a fuss about. She told us she had hurt her leg, then did not even limp. She believed that she had the right to get on the bus before anyone else did, despite knowing nothing about any of the people in the queue. When she did not get what she wanted, instead of accepting it, she put herself and everyone else in danger and considerable inconvenience, and could not care less about them.
And yet we were the ones being cruel and making assumptions?
I really don’t see where you are coming from!
on February 16th, 2007 at 12:18 pm
Nice one Mark - didn’t realise you were in St John.
One of my best friends is registered disabled (however he’s also a very active member of St John as well), and he would never ask for assistance for anybody. To him, he’s normal. He’s adapted to being in a wheelchair, so he dislikes it if anybody assumes that simply because he’s disabled, he needs assistance. And his pet hate is anybody who plays on their disability…
He would certainly have ended up having words with that lady had he been there, and out of uniform
.
Regards
Nick
http://nickhough.blogspot.com
on February 16th, 2007 at 5:43 pm
A bit of topic, but talking about the other side of the fence. Im a EMT, afew days ago I did a shift up in our control/dispatch center. Bloody hell you guys do a tough job up there, Ive now changed my attitude towards call takers and ambo dispatchers!! If I get sent out of turn I now can see it was possible a mistake and not you being nasty! hee hee. I think all ambo crews should go see what happens up there. I now have a good idea of the bigger pic.
on February 16th, 2007 at 6:28 pm
Nick - you are right, it is often really upsetting when people try to force help upon others. I’ve had people trying to take my purse out of my hand without so much as an “excuse me” because they think I won’t be able to use a ticket machine myself! And the number of times I’ve thought I was being mugged because some stranger suddenly decided to carry my shopping for me or “help” me across a road…
Anyway, here’s the guidelines (these apply to calm and rational disableders only):
If I need help then nine times out of ten I will say “excuse me, could you (whatever) for me please?”. The tenth time I will be saying “aaaargh!” or thudding to the floor. Perform first aid.
If you want to be helpful then ask “do you want a hand?” or “can you manage ok?” and then wait for a response. If I say “yes please”, help me. If I say “no thanks, I can manage” then I’m not trying to insult you. If I’m unconscious, perform first aid.
Finally, if you get snarled at by a particularly touchy person, don’t let it put you off helping anyone ever again! People who are willing to help when asked can be an absolute godsend and are very much appreciated.
on February 16th, 2007 at 10:03 pm
Thanks for that, Mary — wise words that I wish both my 999 callers and strange women who lie in front of buses would listen to!
on February 17th, 2007 at 12:20 am
if you do your AA2, and if its like my county, you could end up on the SJA truck covering A&E. could be fun for your mates in AC.
i did A&E cover the other friday, bad snow and i was asked to go out in the ambo (defender version) intresting seeing how county work, control and road crews. the night ending in my first cpr case and my first death (same case)
on February 17th, 2007 at 1:22 pm
“bus-percussion” has set me giggling. Just catching up with you after a week of flu. Thanks to Mary as well for the advice on how to be helpful.
on February 20th, 2007 at 11:36 am
Dave M, can I just ask, what county are you in?
And thanks Mary. You’ve provided others with some sound advice there.
Regards
Nick
http://nickhough.blogspot.com
on February 20th, 2007 at 5:11 pm
I hope this counts as a bystander entry.
Travelling home with my wife at 02.00 on Friday 9/02/07 we came across a middle aged man on all fours on the slip road to a junction which we have to take to get home.
Because we saw this gentleman we were able to miss him and pulled in just past him so that we were safe but also protecting him from the constant flow of traffic. with flashers on I telephoned the Ploice and advised them of what I had found.
After asking me all the usual questions, name address, phone number and where were we, they asked if I would mind staying in place until they could get a couple of their units out to me to take this poor chap home. I had no choice as this is a busy dual carriageway at the quietest of times. It transpires he had crawled some mile and a half, crossed both sides of the dual carriageway to get where he was! I am amazed he wasn’t hit by some thing.
Anyway, what seemed liked an hour (7 minutes timed on my mobile) the boys in blue turned up and I got out of my car and asked if I could go. With much praise and thanks from the officers and man on all fours we departed.
Scary incident indeed.
Next one ??????????
on February 2nd, 2008 at 7:07 pm
Thanks for sharing
on February 7th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
I’d prefer reading in my native language, because my knowledge of your languange is no so well. But it was interesting! Look for some my links: