Don't Grab a Shower Chair

[Just Plain Ruff]

We make mistakes, we all have made mistakes with patients, some terrible with terrible outcomes, some not so bad.

AS for the patient family looking to make a lot of money, probably true, but let's not string that family up by the balls because I'm sure they have already discussed this with the fire department and they were probably rebuffed or offered to have the ambulance bill waived or something like that.

They are rightfully angry, their loved one supposedly in the care of professional medics was injured and injured badly. Was it negligence, who knows. Was it a bad decision , yep.

But put yourself in this families shoes and then decide what you would do in this situation.

Case in point

Co-worker was hit braodside by a full size pickup. Critically injured. I was driving behind him. He was being lifted on a backboard(wooden) and the board broke causing the medics to lose grip and dropping him to the ground. He had been intubated, he was extubated by the fall. He suffered an additional broken arm because as he fell to the ground his arm came loose and ended up under the board. I heard the snap. He survived though.

Family asked to have additional medical bills covered by the EMS agency and was refused. They took the service to court and won damages equal to the injuries and hospital stay. Had the service had said "we're sorry, we made a mistake" the family told me that they woudl never had taken them to court.

The family initially was not going to do anything unless the service refused to accept responsibility for the mistake which they did not. They sued em not for millions of dollars but for just the cost of the additional medical care as well as attorney fees. They got both. They did not ask for punitive damages. They just wanted the money to help pay his medical bills that would not have incurred without the broken backboard.

So prior to chastising the family, put yourself in their shoes and think about what you would do.

[Richard B the EMT]

While I hope RuffEMS' associate fully recovered, I have to say in all my 37 years on the ambulances, and even having seen clumsy co-workers drive type one ambulances over them, I have never heard of a backboard breaking, let alone under the weight of a person. Wood boards needing sanding down for splinters, yes, but breaking?

[Just Plain Ruff]

While I hope RuffEMS' associate fully recovered, I have to say in all my 37 years on the ambulances, and even having seen clumsy co-workers drive type one ambulances over them, I have never heard of a backboard breaking, let alone under the weight of a person. Wood boards needing sanding down for splinters, yes, but breaking?

the part of the board that broke was one of the corners of the board. Once the corner of the board broke, the medics lost grip and down my colleague went.

I do know that after this happened the service did let my friend and his family know that they had purchased an entirely new set up plastice backboards. Some good did come out of this in the end.

[ERDoc]

Ruff, I'd agree with you on your associate. It sounds like it was just a bad accident and a simple appology and covering the associated bills would have been all the family wanted (what is wrong with his family? This is America, we don't act reasonablly). To me, it doesn't sound like this is the same case with this advertisement. The fact that the family is posting online says that they are going to whatever means they can to get a lawsuit going. As I said before, I would also have to guess that they have tried several lawyers already who have turned them down if they have resorted to posting on some advertising board somewhere. With the ads on TV and the local phone book, there is no shortage of lawyers. I still say this family is looking for their lottery ticket and are not getting what they want.

[Aeromedic]

One of the Laws that I'm really applauding up here allows professionals to apologize without it being a court-admissible statement of guilt. One of the Docs I work with, he was sued after he slipped with a scalpel while trimming cartilage in a knee and accidentally nicked a tendon. He apologized to the patient and told the patient that they would have to spend an additional week off of work because of the tendon injury, but would make a full recovery with no further adverse effects. Because the doc apologized, the patients lawyer argued that he admitted wrongdoing and accepted liability. Patient was awarded nearly $20,000 and the doc had no recourse because he apparently admitted guilt. After talking to the medical board (which refused to back him because he had "admitted" his wrongdoing), they told him that you never apologize unless it is court ordered because you leave yourself open to huge liability.

That is one of the main reasons you won't hear even a quick verbal apology, which I think is a total shame because a simple I'm sorry (as illustrated by others) could go such a long way.

[armymedic571]

The last thing I am curious about is, where is the 10th lumbar vertebrae?

Doc that is......Brilliant!!!!!

Ruff, along your lines, I am curious as to see how much this family sasks for. That number in and of it self might shed some light as to what their true motives are.............