Situation on the road today - help me learn from it?

[Nurse SMS]

I am a nursing student, just finished my first semester and this is something that happened to me today while driving.

I rode with the new girl at my office while she went to pick up something at lunch and we saw a car going the opposite direction start to drift with the driver slumped over his steering wheel....it came to a stop.... We flipped a u-turn and stopped behind him, hazards on....I approached his car and he was slouched over an open cell phone, unresponsive, eyes closed. Took a while of knocking - I was worried he'd had a heart attack or a stroke. I was terrified for a minute that I was going to have to use my somewhat newly acquired CPR skills. Another lady stopped and I told her to call the paramedics and I just kept on knocking. Never thought to try his door. He finally started to alertness, looked bewildered, then embarassed.... Looked like a business man burning the candle at both ends. He stated he was fine and had no chest pain or shortness of breath, that he just fell asleep - felt weird and empowering to be the person to know at least some of what to ask him. He would not pull off the road and let me call for someone to come get him and he did end up going on his merry way, very embarassed. I really hope he is okay and wish he'd waited a bit longer for the EMTs to arrive. Thank goodness his foot drifted to his brake and not his gas pedal.

So critique me - what else could I/should I have done? I feel like this is a great learning opportunity if nothing else....

[carolinapooh, BSN, RN]

I passed an elderly man once who was going eastbound in the westbound lanes of a major interstate. He was doing about twenty-five or thirty when I passed him (at this point, so was I, as you can imagine) and seemed completely oblivious. People were blowing their horns and blinking their lights, and he had this dazed expression on his face.

I pulled off the road, called 911 (*HP in NC), described the car, gave a plate number, and even told the EXIT we'd just passed, AND told them a state trooper had passed me not five minutes before (and had gone off at another exit before I saw this guy) so I knew there was a car in the area, and they essentially told me I was an idiot. It took me four attempts to clarify the guy was going the wrong way up the interstate!

I got the operator's name (they have to provide this information), reminded them the call was recorded, and flat-out told them I hoped to God I didn't see this man in a wreck on the news that night because I'd certainly be calling the cops directly.

I have no idea what happened to him - I'm hoping the dispatcher finally got a clue and contacted the trooper - but I did watch the news that night and didn't see the guy on there.

I'm an ex-cop and I'm answering as one.

I applaud what you did - but I think that not opening the door until there was someone else there was the wise thing to do (even though that wasn't your thinking at the time). YOUR safety comes first - I don't care what the situation is.

And you can't call the cops on this guy because: (1) they have other stuff to do, and (2) you can get nailed for slander if someone gets a wild hair and does pull this guy over and says they got a complaint. If the guy appears fine and isn't legally intoxicated or under the influence, you just harassed someone. So don't worry about anyone saying not calling back was the wrong thing, or whatever else along those lines you're getting flack for.

Also - be sure the state you're living in has Good Samaritan laws that cover your actions in an emergency. If the state I'm in doesn't, I'm sorry, but I do nothing other than call the appropriate authorities. People can flame me for that and I honestly don't care. I have a house and a couple of very nice cars I'd like to keep, and I don't trust people anymore. The rabid and sue-happy few have created a dangerous world for everyone - it's no wonder people don't want to get involved anymore.

With all that said, what I'm truly more concerned about is the fact that you really put yourself at risk here. People are nuts - he could have been high, an a&& who slugged you for interfering, he could have even pulled a gun on you or a host of other things. The most dangerous thing cops do is pull over cars or approach stopped vehicles. Whoever said you should have called 911 BEFORE you got out of the car is my hero - protect yourself first. Chances are the dispatcher would have stayed on the phone with you and talked you through what to do, and that's their job.

On the other end, I applaud you for caring enough to make sure this guy was OK - and at the end of the day, no matter how embarrassed he was, I'm sure he was as well. I can't judge his motives (or his obvious bad choice) because God knows I've been behind the wheel when I was actually too wiped out to be there - and I've been lucky in that I've hurt no one, least of all myself, when I've done it.

Just be very, very careful and keep in mind that people are crazy.

[MissBrn, ADN, RN]

Maybe he has narcolepsy. Sounds crazy but I thought I heard that you can have narcolepsy and still have a drivers license.

[AnneMarie]

Wow, can you really not call the cops for an impaired driver at the risk of them filing a slander suit? I didn't realize the driver would even be able to get your name from the authorities---and if you witnessed them driving erratically (as the OP did), how is it inappropriate to call the police to have him pulled over? I guess I'm surprised (if that's really the case) that you're only "allowed" to call the authorities for an impaired driver if you know they're drunk--how would you know that in the first place? Maybe the laws are different in each state, because I know in our state, we are encouraged to simply report "impaired drivers." To the OP, I know you did call the cops, I'm just posting this because I'm genuinely curious, that's all. Thanks!!