"It's morally wrong and has left a very sour taste in the mouth."

My "Fark quote of the week" nominee.

Maybe he'll end up getting fired like the cop who sued a family after slipping in water when she responded to a call about a baby who nearly drowned.

Stephen Canning claims he stumbled and twisted his ankle when a security light outside the home of Joan Boardman, 82, went out.

That's poor writing. The second the light went out, he twisted his ankle?

Maybe he needs a CSI flashlight. Or learn to walk.

well, england has followed the US into the land of DUMB farkING lawsuits

I mean
COME ON

we really need some activist judges

judge: no, not only cant you sue, I am sending you to jail for being an asshat
asshat parametic: but but I fall down and go boom, someone owes me money
judge: and I order you sterilized

namatad: well, england has followed the US into the land of DUMB farkING lawsuits

I came in here but I see my job was already taken, aw well...back to the want ads.

"...when Joan suffered what the couple thought to be an angina attack..."


He's probably just pissed at all these people who call on emergency services with petty problems.

My grandmother is 86. Last year she fell in the yard and broke her hip. She didn't even tell anybody until days later.

on the other hand thousands of frivolous or unworthy lawsuits are filed every year against medical practitioners. Any one who has worked as an ambulance driver or paramedic for a reasonable amount of time has probably had a malpractice suit.

We need a UK tag.

/morons

Impudent Domain: on the other hand thousands of frivolous or unworthy lawsuits are filed every year against medical practitioners. Any one who has worked as an ambulance driver or paramedic for a reasonable amount of time has probably had a malpractice suit.

And yet that does not cancel out the stupidity of this wankers lawsuit.

I used to work with Rural/Metro in New Jersey as an EMT-B. I quit after a 74 year old man sued me and my employer because he thought he contracted pneumonia from being left outside for too long in 40 degree weather. It wasnt because he had influenza for a week, oh no. It was because we took 30 farking seconds to load him into the back of an ambulance. And yes, he won the lawsuit.

this guy has home owners insurance rite? it will pay for it. thats what its for.

I don't agree with any pain and suffering money, but at least the guy should cover his doctor bills (if any, youd think they would hook him up for free).

Actually now that I think of it, wouldn't his works insurance cover the medical bills as this would be a "workplace injury"?

Flashbulb:

He's probably just pissed at all these people who call on emergency services with petty problems.



A 9-1-1 dispatcher in Dodge County was stunned for a moment when a caller told her she needed a nanny.

This happened here in the USA a while back. The result was the law suit went nowhere and the EMT got fired. And yes, a "UK" tag is a must.

MrDon
FLorida
(Where we are very proud of our Fark tag. We work hard to prove that every day.)

one of the first things you deal with in an emergency call is "scene safety" so you dont become a hinderance yourself.


/emt-b

She had acute angina, but her face was rather plain.

This sounds similar to the story where the cop got into an accident while reporting to a robbery or a domestic dispute. The cop sued the guy but i'll be damned if I remember the outcome.

People Suckometer +1

What echomike23 said.
Scene safety is the crew's responsibility, not the patient's.

/reason # 127466683651 why I'm in dispatch
//the only threat to my safety is heart disease secondary to dispatch ass

well.. I'm not surprised

Can I sue him for severe redness brought on by a hard facepalm?

This guy is a disgrace. When I was still working the streets, we would have taken this guy out back and beaten him.

/US Paramedic

what a heartless bastard

Makes me think twice about public service. That and the fact people suck.

globalwarmingpraiser: This guy is a disgrace. When I was still working the streets, we would have taken this guy out back and beaten him.

/US Paramedic

And then given him proper medical attention!

Some jurisdictions have what is known as the "Fireman's rule," which prohibits suits like this. Your mileage may vary.

http://www.njnlpoa.org/Firefighter_rules_struck_down.htm

thatguyfred: globalwarmingpraiser: This guy is a disgrace. When I was still working the streets, we would have taken this guy out back and beaten him.

/US Paramedic

And then given him proper medical attention!

Yep twin 14 ga Ivs. Prob missed a time or two too.

Flashbulb:
My grandmother is 86. Last year she fell in the yard and broke her hip. She didn't even tell anybody until days later.

I think when you've survived World War 2 and thirty years of near-imminent nuclear annihilation, you might feel like a broken hip is something to "walk off".

/dunno where whiny old people come from

It's not a taxi

Since everyone is in full agreement that the paramedic is a douche that should be hung by his gonads, let me play devils advocate:

The article was scant on details, but I could imagine a scenario where the same crew had made repeated trips to the same address for purported "I thought it was an angina attack". That burned out light may have been out for some time and the owner may have been informed - repeatedly...eventually resulting in said injury.

Under those circumstances, I can see leveling a lawsuit based on the principal of the matter.

/just sayin

Had it been piles of trash, filth from a collection of 50+ cats or some other such nonsense, or that the patient was 500lb and hard to carry, then sue.

A light went out - that's an accident, grow up, move on..

qitty: Had it been piles of trash, filth from a collection of 50+ cats or some other such nonsense, or that the patient was 500lb and hard to carry, then sue.

A light went out - that's an accident, grow up, move on..

Don't even sue then. It's part of the job one agrees to when they sign up.

If it's not safe, don't go in until it is. If you decide you can take a calculated risk... go for it.

This would be equivalent of a Firefighter suing a homeowner because he got burned fighting the fire.

And medical expenses... Workman's Comp?

/Paramedic
//Firefighter
///Police Officer

////Not a dispatcher

No one has mentioned the Charlie Sheen article at bottom of page???

Paramedic is not an enviable job; low pay, high stress, and they are usually the target for lawsuits, not the other way around.

dervish16108: Paramedic is not an enviable job; low pay, high stress, and they are usually the target for lawsuits, not the other way around.

Thanks for the recognition.

"It's morally wrong and has left a very salty sour taste in the mouth."

FTFMW (fixed that for my wife)

mtrac

Came to say this, AKA professional rescuer doctrine.
/Police Officer
//Attorney
///was NREMT/B

the article is very incomplete. we don't really know the circumstances beyond that a light went out. if he tripped over something laying in the hallway or on the front steps that clearly should not have been there, especially if there was evidence that it had been there for some time, then it's possible this suit has merit.

after all, the idea that you can force someone to enter your home (a distress call to paramedics places a legal obligation upon them, at least in the US), and at the same time place them at risk of foreseeable bodily harm (having something in their path that they might trip on, esp when you had excess opportunity to remove it AND given that they have to respond with speed to your call), certainly sounds like grounds to me.

Unless it was MEANT to stay on all security light go out after a set time unless they sense more movement.

Even so the paramedic is supposed to have more than an IQ of a vegetable, if it was THAT dark then turn on your torch/flashlight

globalwarmingpraiser:

And then given him proper medical attention!

Yep twin 14 ga Ivs. Prob missed a time or two too.

Ow. Ow ow ow ow. OW.

It's feally fun when they miss and get bone instead.

/would it be adding insult to injury, or injury to insult?

aharown & others That support this POS.

I'm guessing you're not in EMS. I'm also guessing that you are the type of people that would sue over stoopid shiit.

Bottom Line is that EMS, like other public services, is a dangerous profession. The first thing taught is to watch out for you own safety.

/he deserves an asswhippin.
//Rule 1 if you bring it on yourself don't cry medic after.
///Rule 2 if Medic puts it on you he IS NOT obligated to treat you.
//// 20 yr medic working remote environment now due to asswipes.

If that were me I would be too embarrassed to sue. Seriously, he's a dumbass. You trip and fall, you pick your clumsy ass up and do your job.

catfart: THIS

youre ruining fark with that - put some thought into your posts lord farkwad

Seems to me if you choose to take on a public service role like EMT or cop or similar that you need to accept there being a higher level of danger and risk than most jobs. I know it sucks that increased pay doesn't go along with that, but what should happen here is his employer should cover his medical costs and his lost wages. Suing the person you went to see, that's just being a pussy.

My guess is he filed a claim with the homeowner's insurance company, and the insurance rejected the claim.

/subrogation FTW

Bathia_Mapes: Maybe he'll end up getting fired like the cop who sued a family after slipping in water when she responded to a call about a baby who nearly drowned.

Dammit, you beat me to it. The cop was fired for actions detrimental to the department. Which is about the mildest way of putting it.

I wonder if this paramedic is even getting paid. A lot of EMS services here in the States are not yet integrated into fire departments (which I don't think they should be anyway,) and a lot of them are volunteer basis anyway.

The one I'm in is volunteer only, has been since it's inception back in the early 1900's (though it was just a guy with bandages and a horse then.) Now, they do pay for my continued schooling while I work my way up from EMT-B to Paramedic, but there is no pay involved.

If this is the case with this guy, he may have got hurt in such a way on a volunteer gig that impacted his ability to do his real job.

Not saying it's right, because it's not, but at least that would add a microbe of sense to this lawsuit.

the paramedic should be killed.

My wife is a social worker and has to deal with the same B.S. Homeowners don't keep proper care of their home and you're forced to work in the environment.

If people want access to services of the average citizen, they should keep their household to the standards of an average citizen.

meintx2001: aharown & others That support this POS.

I'm guessing you're not in EMS. I'm also guessing that you are the type of people that would sue over stoopid shiit.

Bottom Line is that EMS, like other public services, is a dangerous profession. The first thing taught is to watch out for you own safety.

/he deserves an asswhippin.
//Rule 1 if you bring it on yourself don't cry medic after.
///Rule 2 if Medic puts it on you he IS NOT obligated to treat you.
//// 20 yr medic working remote environment now due to asswipes.

Another Offshore type?

The unfortunate reality is that not everyone lives in a clean and tidy environment. Its part of the job for social workers, home health care workers, firefighters, and paramedics. Your taught to assess the environment and watch out for any dangers. You have to look out for yourself. If it isn't safe, your allowed the decision of not going in there. If you do have an accident you claim workers compsensation (atleast here in north america, I dunno how it is in the UK). You don't sue the client. Eesh.

/end rant