DCentric

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What would you do if a passenger on the train got sick?

Quick– if someone collapsed on the Metro, would you know what to do?

When I first saw a post about sick passengers riding Metro, I assumed it was about people with colds or the flu. I was wrong. The Unsuck DC Metro blog was discussing something else entirely– one reader’s frustration with her morning commute on the Green Line, after it had been complicated by what initially seemed like an emergency:

A man collapsed from his seat into the aisle. Passengers jumped up to see what was going on. Someone hit the red button at the end of the car to notify the train driver. We gathered around the man, moved his heavy bag out the way and checked his medical bracelet. He has epilepsy.

Of course, the train stopped moving at that point. But read what happened next:

Seemingly, out of nowhere a woman walked up the aisle, announced she is his wife, and bent down to check on him. She called his name repeatedly. Someone told her an ambulance/help was on the way. She became irritated and said, “this happens all the time, he’s alright, he passes out about 2-3 times a week.”

The folks nearby looked at each other like what the … ? The train driver entered the car and told everyone they had to get off because the train couldn’t move until the sick passenger was removed. The wife said the man was okay, and he didn’t need an ambulance. The train driver said he couldn’t move the train because the man couldn’t move on his own.

I can certainly understand how this situation would be confusing and frustrating to riders who witnessed the man fall out of his seat. Adding to the contravention? A Metro employee who rushed to the platform and said:

“He passes out 3 times a week, and they NEVER want an ambulance!”

Eventually, the train moved again, with the epileptic man and his wife back on it. The rider who witnessed everything and wrote to Unsuck DC Metro acknowledged that there probably isn’t a different way to handle this situation. She closed her account with her opinion that it was “extremely insensitive and foolish to repeatedly put one’s self at risk, cause delays, and then refuse medical treatment”.

Over 80 comments followed, with some people expressing anger that the man’s thrice-weekly attacks created delays which affected the whole system; others pointed out that he has the same right to public transportation as anyone else. What was eye-opening for me were the comments from at least three other Metro riders who suffer from Epilepsy, one of whom was arguing strenuously against calling 911 for an ambulance. An EMT who has treated two patients while off-duty concurred:

People who have these types of medical conditions and their family members are the best people to deal with them…They know the routine, the medications and the desire of the patient. Epilepsy is one such condition where, unless they have injured themselves during a seizure, going to the hospital does little good.

Interesting, right? I must confess, if I saw someone having a seizure, my first response would be to call 911. A personal experience shapes that reaction; a family member who is not Epileptic had a seizure a few years ago and needed to be rushed to the hospital. I don’t think my response is atypical. Other commenters raised valid questions and concerns about not wanting to assume anything by calling or NOT calling an ambulance. If you don’t know the person who has just fallen on the floor, isn’t it better to be safe, than sorry? Another Metro rider with Epilepsy offers this answer:

As another daily Metro commuter and medical bracelet-wearing epileptic, I thought I’d weigh in…As far as calling an ambulance goes, if someone wearing a bracelet has a seizure and is breathing, didn’t hit their head, and isn’t bleeding, then you can probably skip the 911 call. Unnecessary hospitals visits are expensive, even if you have insurance, and incredibly frustrating. I can call my neurologist after I regain consciousness and discuss drug dosage issues. HOWEVER, if in doubt, make the call. I’d rather have a frustrating trip to the ER than be ignored if I appear to have hit my head.

Good to know.