Medical Emergency on SkyTrain today

[Overground]

Terrible story.

I hate to say it but it's Mickey Mouse Vancouver. You can dress it up all you want but it's amateur hour once again. Translink needs to wake up and smell the coffee.

[officedweller]

Found this on Good Samaritan laws:

http://www.chirurgeon.net/legal_canada.shtml

[Canadian Mind]

I have my standard certificate, still not allowed to give advice of any kind. Otherwise I'd have all the "dos" and "don'ts" up here.

As for the good Samaritan law, regarding the one in BC, "Gross negligence" could be understood as the person "attempted first aid without proper training or qualification." Whereas negligence would be me forgetting exactly where to put my hands during CPR, or hitting a baby in the back of the head during back-blows (for dislodging foodstuffs from a choking infant).

All the same though, much of first aid will cause injury of some sort, which is why many good Samaritan laws were put into practice. For instance, during The Heimlich Maneuver, if you don't cause internal damage and broken ribs, you aren't doing it hard enough. During CPR, if you don't break ribs, you aren't doing it hard enough.

[mezzanine]

sad story. if i was the passenger it would be difficult to assess the situation and try to act. passengers taking him out at a station sounds good in hindsight, but hard to judge on scene (is this guy high on something? is he really having an emergency?)

Protocols do have to be improved - it sounds like rendevous'ing with the car was more of a problem. i'm sure it would be very difficult to stop the whole system immediately everytime someone calls in, but at least they could flag the car and coordinate EMS/attendants better.

They should also have automated defribrilators at the stations like they do at airports, but under lock and key for the attendents (this is vancouver after all...)

the first attendent screwed up - the time between brentwood and gilmore is small, and if she couldn't have held the train at gilmore, then she should have started first aid and at least talked with 911.

For an automated system (with less staff), there will be some sort of delay in response. could we bite the bullet and pay to staff all stations with attendents? what sort of time did it take for the call to go in to response? if this guy had his coronary on the street would it take as long?

[fever]

Someone could have put their foot in the door to stop the train at Brentwood. The train doesn't go until the doors close. The attendant should be able to call in and stop the train as well, and I've seen that happen before (at Brentwood, no less).

About a minute after I passed through Sperling, my westbound train was stopped and an announcement came over the PA that eastbound trains wouldn't stop at Sperling due to a medical emergency. During the 10 minutes or so the westbound train was stopped, two (I think, maybe 3) eastbound trains passed heading for Sperling. The incident was on the eastbound platform.

I was thinking the same thing about defibrillators while I was waiting for the train to start moving again.

[deasine]

Sad story I agree, though I'm not at all surprised. There are safety features on the system that many actually don't know of. If the door is held at the station for five chimes, the train will automatically lock it's emergency brakes and remain at the station until an attendant arrives. I believe there is the Stop the Train button at each of the Designated Waiting Areas located in each station.

[mezzanine]

Oh yeah! forgot about holding the door. I know what i'd do if it happens to my train. skytrain control simply should have told passengers to do it, if they couldn't immediately halt the train.

[zivan56]

Originally Posted by Canadian Mind

You sure about that? I remember being told that without my First Aid Qualification, I can be sued even trying to help. Only province where this isn't so is Quebec, where legally you must help.

Yes, 100%. I did CPR training and was told by the firefigher who repeated it like every 5 minutes. So even if you break someones rib, you are not legally liable if you were trying to help. In fact, he said expect to break their ribs (especially for older people). If the person stops breathing, they are already dead basically. This was specifically emphasized by the firefighter. There is also a law in BC which he stated, which basically says that.
And "gross negligence" if pretty well defined, if it was just negligence, then it might be an issue.

[Canadian Mind]

Originally Posted by zivan56

Yes, 100%. I did CPR training and was told by the firefigher who repeated it like every 5 minutes. So even if you break someones rib, you are not legally liable if you were trying to help. In fact, he said expect to break their ribs (especially for older people). If the person stops breathing, they are already dead basically. This was specifically emphasized by the firefighter. There is also a law in BC which he stated, which basically says that.
And "gross negligence" if pretty well defined, if it was just negligence, then it might be an issue.

I have my ticket, so I'm covered. What I meant was that if I didn't have my certificate, or the thing expired, I could be held liable.

[zivan56]

^^ Perhaps, but the chances of that are probably lower than that of being struck by lighting; especially here in Canada. I mean, why on earth would someone sue you for helping someone who is not breathing?

[98fb]

Potential lawsuit?

[crazyjoeda]

I doubt that there is any potential for a lawsuit against Translink, maybe McDonalds.

This really is terrible and the Skytrain staff should be trained in at least basic first aid and CPR, but I wouldn't agree that is the fault of Skytrain or Translink. This result almost certainly would have been the same if this had happened anywhere else. Unfortunately a heart attack can happen any where, a man once died under similar circumstances in the parking lot of my work.

[twoNeurons]

Originally Posted by mr.x2

Good for you, i hope they make a big deal out of it (but only to a fair extent). SkyTrain's medical emergency procedures need a closer look at.




Last year while riding the bus with a friend after getting off at Lougheed Station, a young woman and her husband were getting on one of those high level buses. They had their 6-day new born with them, in the carriage. For some reason, the husband decided to lift the carriage up on to the bus without taking the baby out.

Well, the baby fell right out of the back hole of the carriage (the carriage was completely slanted). The newborn hit his head on the bus floor and proceeded to roll down the steps, onto the concrete curb. The bus operator within 20 secs radioed in for help, and about 5 mins later fire rescue arrived and another 5 mins afterwards, the paramedics.

It was rather disturbing, and none of us could help. The husband was sobbing, the wife was hysteric and crying her eyes out.....for what seemed the longest time, the baby didn't make any sound at all. No cries, nothing.

About 15 mins after the paramedics arrived, the bus driver told us to get off the bus and catch the one that is arriving behind us.

I have this mental image of this happening... that must have been horrible! Did the baby start crying eventually? Did you ever find out what happened? Please don't tell me that the baby died!

[mr.x]

Originally Posted by tintinium

I have this mental image of this happening... that must have been horrible! Did the baby start crying eventually? Did you ever find out what happened? Please don't tell me that the baby died!

A few minutes after paramedics arrived and a few minutes of the mother begging her baby to cry, it cried. Not sure what happened afterwards, the bus was parked right outside the McDonalds.