Did a FDNY EMT Assault a Patient? The NY Post is there!

[Dustdevil]

I actually have to question Dust as well. If the guy was just spitting, why couldn't a mask be used?

Do you want to be the person applying that mask to a violent patient? You're likely to get a lot worse than spat upon if you go putting your hands around his face.

The patient's mouth was a weapon. The medic disarmed him. Job well done.

[Eydawn]

If you don't know how to restrain someone long enough to get a mask on them (be it a violent head injury or a drugged out motherf**ker) especially with police help present, you shouldn't be transporting them. And if *anyone* should be using direct force, it should be the cop- not you.

What happened to the adage "do no harm"?

Wendy

CO EMT-B

[Dustdevil]

If you don't know how to restrain someone long enough to get a mask on them (be it a violent head injury or a drugged out motherf**ker) especially with police help present, you shouldn't be transporting them.

Yeah, and then there is the real world.

[JPINFV]

What happened to the adage "do no harm"?

Short term harm [surgery, amputation, starting IVs, restraining psych/drug patients, plenty of other painful procedures] have always been accepted in order to obtain a long term benefit.

[Eydawn]

Well, at my current job I can't just punch folks when they're difficult to handle, even when they pose a threat to me. Just doesn't work that way! I certainly hope you never transport a client of mine who has cerebral palsy who expresses anger through spitting- since he can't really do anything else to express himself. I'd hate to have him take a punch.

When you take on a responsibility as a medical provider, you take on accepting the limited toolbox you get to play with in regards to restraining someone prehospital.

Punching someone is not good medical care. I can see a limited set of circumstances in which you would have to deliver a blow to get yourself out of the situation until you had more help to restrain the person. I can't see punching someone in retaliation for being spat upon and pretending that it was all ok and to everyone's benefit.

I'm surprised to see you take this line, Dust... really and truly... smacks of ye old put them in the backboard sammich so they can't hurt me mentality for some reason.

Isn't this why we have certain policies regarding when and what kind of physical restraints we can use, and why chemical restraints are preferred for people who are difficult to get under physical control? You can justify giving someone a haldol shot in the arse much more readily than you can justify striking them intentionally in the face... no?

Wendy

CO EMT-B

[Just Plain Ruff]

Guys guys guys, they didn't say what he was being treated for. This is the New York Post that if I remember right does not really have a good reputation in NYC. Correct me if I'm wrong. I seem to remember that the NYP is considered by some just another version of the Enquirer and the like but I might be getting my papers wrong.

Anyone from NYC want to clarify the reputation of the Post? but I digress on to the rest of the post.

What if he was being treated for assault and the injury was to his jaw to begin with.

they never said where the emt hit him, they said it was the head. So could the jaw have been already broken.

Plus, why are we taking the side of the dirtbag who got hurt before we hear the other side.

If the cop saw nothing wrong with the treatment then who's to say what actually happened.

Again, we are taking a 7 sentence news article as gospel and not getting the rest of the story. This seems to be a consistent theme on this forum. We get a small news story and right off the bat we assume that since the EMT was accused or since the medic, firefighter or police officer has been accused then that person needs to be drummed out of the service.

Put this situation on the other shoe - YOUR SHOES and how would you feel about the responses here or anywhere in the news. We are so caught up in the blame game or laying of fault that we cannot see past the new article.

Now, if this indeed is true and the emt or medic really did injure this guy then he has to answer to the suit and take responsibility for his actions. But until it's proven or we get more info then we cannot make an informed decision as to who is right and who is wrong.

Remember - this is a civil case filed not a criminal case. No criminal case seems to have been filed.

Give the judgement a rest until the rest of the story comes out.

[p3medic]

No video, no witness, didn't happen.

[Richard B the EMT]

The NY Post's rep is such, that, while what I now tell probably did NOT happen, it COULD!

A patient raped a nurse at a psychiatric hospital, and escaped. The New York Post banner headline read

NUT SCREWS AND BOLTS!

I have not heard of this lawsuit, and I work at FDNY Headquarters, however, I don't disallow the possibility that one of the non-FDNY EMS units, either hospital based, or contract ambulance to a hospital, both under control (really?) of the 9-1-1 system's FDNY EMD, might be the actual unit involved, if such incident actually happened.

[Just Plain Ruff]

Just as I suspected as the NYP's reputation.

[Richard B the EMT]

I worked at the NY Post from 1964 to 1969, a long time before the paper was bought by that guy, Rupert Murdock, and ruined it's reputation.

(Oh, all right, I was a newspaper delivery boy!)