Self-centered motorist

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Specializes in critical Care/ICU-traveler.

Today I was driving down the highway and about 6 ambulances go screaming by me. I figure it must be bad and sure enough, as I later find out, it is horrific. There are 3 cars rolled over and people actually laying on the road being treated by EMS.

Traffic has of course come to a complete stop, and the most unbelievable thing happened. There were people that actually started beeping thier horns! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!!! They could see the the terrible scene in front of them but they beeped like the delay in traffic was unforgivable. Where could you possibly be going in such a hurry, that beeping your horn is necessary? Secondly....people are laying in the street, probably dying....and you are beeping? Is this society so calloused that this doesnt affect them?

I was outraged! How bad would they have felt if they realized that one of those people lying on the street was someone they loved? Maybe they would not have been so d*** insensitive.....geeshhhh!!!!

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Specializes in Psych, Med/Surg, Home Health, Oncology.

I agree with you, 100%.

We live in a very "ME" oriented Society---very selfish people out there.

I run into these characters almost every morning, going home!!

i have run out of ways to try and educate them.

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I've become indifferent to these types of people. I see so much of them everyday that I've stopped thinking "wow, what an (insert expletive)."

In Indiana it is a law that if you see a police car on the side of the road/highway/interstate that you MUST change lanes if you can safely or slow down considerably. 99% follow this rule but that nasty 1% actually speeds up. Also, those that drive dangerously fast in school zones and construction zones infuriate me. It always puts a smile on my face though when that big SUV flies by me in a construction zone with a bumper sticker that says "drive carefully, I care about my kids", only to be pulled over and fined heavily - $1000 in my state plus a possible jail sentence for reckless driving.

Really, the signs are quite large and orange and clearly state that speeding is a $1000 fine and up to 9 years in prison. Sorry, if you get pulled over in a construction zone with those signs, IMO, you're just being stupid.

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Specializes in critical Care/ICU-traveler.

These are also, no doubt, the same insensitive buttheads that come in to the ER and complain because they had to wait to see the doctor for thier various aches and pains.

I guess some people are so "lucky" that they dont know what a real crisis is!!!

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These are also, no doubt, the same insensitive buttheads that come in to the ER and complain because they had to wait to see the doctor for thier various aches and pains.

I guess some people are so "lucky" that they dont know what a real crisis is!!!

This is off topic, but 2 years ago I was very sick with Crohn's. I had been sick for 2 weeks and lost 15 pounds in that time. I refused to go to the dr or er. I felt that I wasn't that sick and these places were busy with 'real' patients. I reached a point where I passed out and after I came to my mom dragged me to the er where I was promptly taken back to a room. There was one middle aged man in the waiting area with a toothache and he didn't like that I could come in and be seen while he had to wait. My mom, the nurse, this man and his wife (who thought her husband was a wuss) were yelling at the er desk (yes, he had followed us back). I'm standing there, trying to keep my eyes from falling out of my head when I keel over again.

I woke up in a nice dark room. I guess I won that round. My mom later told me that the nurse called security and had him removed.

Sheesh, I know toothaches hurt but apply some ice, take an advil, and call a dentist. Most in our area have emergency numbers and will come in in the middle of the night.

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Specializes in ER.

Bethin- then they'd have to pay the emergency fee, in the ER they don't. Plus many people don't get regular dental care, and if you don't have a regular dentist not many will take you on at midnight.

I agree with the OP. I stopped to help at a wreck with five 20ish kids on the road. Took 30 minutes or so for the ambulances to even get there, but about an hour after I stopped, I saw a truck driver talking to someone (first responder?). He wanted the road cleared so he could make schedule, and threatened that some truckers were breaking out the rum, did she want to be responsible for them being on the road? He was so ridiculous it would have been laughable if it hadn't been so serious, and man I was pissed. It's not like we all conspired together to crash the car, and move as slowly as possible with the rescue, to keep the chaos going just for fun. We all love talking to buttheads like him in the middle of trying to keep someone from dying too.

That was years ago and thinking about his impatience still makes me angry. She was very good with him, but he was a total waste of time and energy.

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i haven't seen anything like that on the road but i have seen it in the er, like beth. one night was horribly busy and we were working a code. later our clerk told us that one pt's relative kept coming out and asking how much longer. the clerk finally told him that the doc and rest of the staff were working with a critical pt and the guy said "well, tell him to give it up and work on the living, the guy probably deserves to croak anyway!"

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Specializes in ER.

It took me 3 years, but if anyone calls to see if we are busy in the ER I say, "yes" every time. If anyone triaged or admitted asks how long the wait is I double my estimate. I cannot control the time, and if we do better than I guessed people are happy. I say, make the people happy!

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q: are you guys really busy right now?

a: yes, we are.

q: oh.......i wanted to (come in, bring my (fill in) in, but i don't want to wait a long time.

a: then call your doctor for an appt.

q: but i want to be seen today.

a: then you'll have to wait for as long as it takes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

q: how busy are you guys?

a: very busy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

q: do you have a lot of people in the er right now?

a: yes ma'am, all our beds are full.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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Specializes in ICU.
i haven't seen anything like that on the road but i have seen it in the er, like beth. one night was horribly busy and we were working a code. later our clerk told us that one pt's relative kept coming out and asking how much longer. the clerk finally told him that the doc and rest of the staff were working with a critical pt and the guy said "well, tell him to give it up and work on the living, the guy probably deserves to croak anyway!"

yikes!:uhoh21:

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Specializes in ER, ICU cath lab, remote med.

I think our society has an epidemic of narcissism. I don't know if it's the stress and pace of our lifestyle or what. It seems like the majority of people are ONLY concerned with what's going on in their life and are unwilling or incapable of putting someone else's shoes on for a day. How many people actually pull over and stop for emergency vehicles anymore?

Oh...and those ER calls about the wait time...my favorite reply "If you have a true emergency risking life, limb, or eyesight, we will see you right away" and leave it at that.

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We had a backboarded patient in the ambulance a couple months ago (hit and run on his bicycle) when our driver asks "Is that green SUV a family member?" Nope, some boogerhead is drafting the ambulance for a quick ride to town. Driver radio'd the police but driver disappeared, too bad.

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