I don't fri99in beleive this....

[FallenPixels]

As sad as it is, I can understand given our move to the American way of suing people over everything. the ambulance workers have insurance off hospital property, nurses do not. They take an oath but if they help someone at an accident on the highway and something goes wrong, they are legally responsible.

We have a nurse at work, she saw a car accident happen, stopped and helped pull the guy from a burning car which exploded as she was pulling him away. She suffered burns to her face which she did not even think about and carried on helping until the ambulance got there, but the guy she pulled from the car - he took her to court because she pulled him through the window and he fractured a rib (you know, instead of burning to death in his car). It is sad that our society has caused an environment where they can't help when needed

[WandaJean]

yeah hat is what my friend told me because of people suing they had to make their policies more strict,but still sad IMHO

[Sally888]

But I think they should of attempted to do something. Nurses and dr's do still take an oath.

[WandaJean]

My brother is beinfg released today, thanks all for good thoughts and prayers and I a huge sigh of releif from mw

[WandaJean]

But I think they should of attempted to do something. Nurses and dr's do still take an oath.

I guess in today's society it means nothing

[DaveP]

yeah hat is what my friend told me because of people suing they had to make their policies more strict,but still sad IMHO

Apparently they are covered, so there is no excuse for this.

The James' experience caused Niagara Health System interim CEO Sue Matthews to apologize to the family during the NHS' daily C. difficile press briefing at GNGH on Thursday.

"I think what's most important is that this family is grieving and it's very difficult and I feel for them as a nurse, as a human being … So I can apologize to them, how horrible their experience must be."

Matthews also said staff were told in December that they are covered for liability and injury in hospital parking lots — despite the years-long belief among health workers that it's not safe to care for patients in parking lots.

[WandaJean]

really!!? Thanks DaveP
I don't care if my job was on the line or not...saving a life would of been more impiortant to me and my sil and bff agree with me

[secheltsaver]

I know this is one of those horrific OMFG stories,and I really understand all the sympathy and outrage expressed in this thread,but not all the blame belongs to the hospital.
Flame me if you want, but I've been on both sides of the fence(personal life and work in a hospital)and I have to point some things out.....
I've read that this hospital has staffing problems,and we don't know how many staff were in E.R. or the acuity of the other patients-maybe they couldn't spare anyone at that point in time.We'll never know because hospitals don't give details about confidential patient information to the public or media.If you read the statement from the hospital,you can see that she is expressing sympathy and understanding towards the family,but that is as much as she's willing/legally able to say.
Furthermore,you NEVER EVER drive someone to the hospital yourself if they are in acutre medical distress-like my mother's cardiologist said"your daughter can't code you if she's driving you here,but your new friends in the noisy red+white taxi can!"
Unfortunately,the boyfriend didn't think of this,or panicked,who knows?It was probably something he'll relive over and over again.....It breaks my heart to think of what he's going through:
Jennifer was in Poisson's car on April 21 near the Niagara Falls car dealership where he worked. Reaching her hands up to her face, she began to yell 'Charlie' and started having what appeared to be a seizure. Jennifer lost consciousness and stopped breathing, so Poisson sped to the hospital.
Although Jennifer was revived, the family was told by a nurse that she had gone without adequate oxygen for about 45 minutes. The impact would likely be severe on the brain.

After 5 minutes the brain cells begin to die,after 10 damage is irreversable,and likely fatal.Times are less if the person is panicking or agitated before they stop breathing.
She didn't have a chance,really-even if they had come outside right away it was probably too late.That is the true tragedy here-that someone made a panicked decision that cost a life that might not have been lost.

[DaveP]

She was already in the car, he did what any one of us here would do. He got her to help as soon as he possibly could. Don't put the blame on him, he doesn't deserve it. As for staffing problems at the ER, ERs operate on triage - greatest need gets attention first. Who in the ER could possibly have a greater need than someone who isn't breathing, and therefore on the fast track to death? The ER has no excuse, since as the article noted, they aren't liable if something goes wrong while they are transporting a patient from the parking lot.

[WandaJean]

really don't care who is right or wrong, or whether or not anyone in waiting room happened to hear his distress, just the thought that not one person offered help is my peeve, noone knew at the time the damage done to her,like i said I would of been their to help in a heartbeat. once when I lived in Peteborough I was shopping and an elderly manwas lying in on the aisle, I gave him CPR, than another shopper took over, I don't know if he survived or not....but I stopped in my tracks to help him...no ifs ands or buts about it.

[kanda]

As sad as it is, I can understand given our move to the American way of suing people over everything. the ambulance workers have insurance off hospital property, nurses do not. They take an oath but if they help someone at an accident on the highway and something goes wrong, they are legally responsible.

We have a nurse at work, she saw a car accident happen, stopped and helped pull the guy from a burning car which exploded as she was pulling him away. She suffered burns to her face which she did not even think about and carried on helping until the ambulance got there, but the guy she pulled from the car - he took her to court because she pulled him through the window and he fractured a rib (you know, instead of burning to death in his car). It is sad that our society has caused an environment where they can't help when needed

The thing about this type of lawsuit is that the injured person can't just "sue " their insurance company (which is really what everyone "should" do if they are in an automobile accident) they have to sue anyone involved. Even if it is their spouse, an elderly clergy member, or a deceased single mother. If the injured party doesn't sue the nurse (who saved his life) then the insurance company may be able to argue against paying out. Or something like that.

I'm no expert but I have worked in litigation for BC's auto insurance agency. It's a very grim line of work.

[recessionisnotfun]

As sad as it is, I can understand given our move to the American way of suing people over everything. the ambulance workers have insurance off hospital property, nurses do not. They take an oath but if they help someone at an accident on the highway and something goes wrong, they are legally responsible.

We have a nurse at work, she saw a car accident happen, stopped and helped pull the guy from a burning car which exploded as she was pulling him away. She suffered burns to her face which she did not even think about and carried on helping until the ambulance got there, but the guy she pulled from the car - he took her to court because she pulled him through the window and he fractured a rib (you know, instead of burning to death in his car). It is sad that our society has caused an environment where they can't help when needed

Unfreaking real, he sued her????

[WandaJean]

Unfreaking real, he sued her????

my thoughts exactly

[ashokia]

I lost all faith in hospitals when they sent DH home from the ER (after falling down two flights of stairs) with a shattered shoulder, broken ribs, broken elbow, concusion, a sling and some pain meds.

He waited two weeks to get a call from the orthopedic surgeon, and when he still hadn't heard anything went back to the hospital, demanded his x-rays and went to the ER of another hospital where they admitted him right away and scheduled him for surgery. They said he should have been operated on the night he fell and were shocked that the other hospital had sent him home.

Now he can't bend his arm because his elbow didn't heal properly in the sling and he still wakes me up in the middle of the night crying out in his sleep he's in so much pain. >_<

This kind of thing just makes me furious. It's their job to save lives. Not to let people die in the parking lot.

[WandaJean]

I once went to the St Catharines General with a migraine that had been with me for 9 days, I was vomiting into one of those plastic thingys and sat in waiting room for 3 hours, I got frustrated and then went to the Hotel Dieu(sp?) and they had me in and hooked up to IV within 15 mins,that hospital is now a prompt care clinic, its too bad it was the best hospital in the Niagara Region