Family Emergency. How fast would you go? Be honest.

[Pan Pan Pan]

As posted before I have had to go through this truly awful situation twice now, and I fully understand the all consuming, and intense need to get to the hospital as fast as possible.
However massively exceeding the speed limits, or driving in a way which creates increased danger for the driver and most importantly other people, either pedestrians and other road users might only serve to make an already bad situation much, much worse.
How would a driver feel if they killed or badly injured someone else`s loved one, or badly injured themselves, both scenarios of which would still stop the driver trying to reach a hospital quickly from actually doing so in time (even possibly ever)
To control ones speed and driving in situations like this, may be one of the hardest things, any of us might be required to do in our lives, but it must be done. As posted before two wrongs usually don't end up making a right.
Even sticking to the limits, I still came up behind dawdling myopic f*ckwits, travelling at well below the posted limit, and trying to stop myself from trying a dangerous overtake to get past them, was extremely difficult in the circumstances, it was all I could do to stop myself from ramming the selfish f*ckwits out of the way.
They may be dawdling a few miles to the local shops, and have all day to do so, but they have to realize, that many other road users, may have any number of compelling reasons for wanting to get to a particular place, as fast as vehicle, road and weather conditions legally allow.

[SteveSteveson]

zarjaz1991 said:

I'm sure all that would be of enormous comfort to the family of someone you'd killed with that type of driving.

Of course, driving a little more spiritedly in an emergency would be understandable but some of the stories in this thread beggar belief.

Ye, some of it is just frightening that we share roads with these people.

Driving fast and taking risks where someones life is depending on it, I understand. For example someone needs to go to hospital because they have a possibly life threatening condition and you live somewhere where you think the ambulance won't get to you fast enough. That I can understand, even if I don't agree it is the course of action I would take. Some of the risks that people are admitting to however, running red lights, driving aggressively to force cars out of the way, speeds that would result in a prison sentence, and so on, so they don't miss a birth or death, or to be with someone who is ill... That's frightening.

[skyrover]

Depends if I drive an electric car or not and it's got enough charge to get there.

[PhillipM]

skyrover said:

Depends if I drive an electric car or not and it's got enough charge to get there.

Buy one with solar panels so it charges off the blue lights of the ambulance.

[pembo]

Brother was in a car accident, life on the line, had to drive 100 miles to get there. I took the parents as I was able to keep calm, maxed out at 90 when it was completely clear but the last thing we needed was for us to end up in an accident as well. They managed to keep him hanging on until we got there

[zarjaz1991]

SteveSteveson said:

Ye, some of it is just frightening that we share roads with these people.

Driving fast and taking risks where someones life is depending on it, I understand. For example someone needs to go to hospital because they have a possibly life threatening condition and you live somewhere where you think the ambulance won't get to you fast enough. That I can understand, even if I don't agree it is the course of action I would take. Some of the risks that people are admitting to however, running red lights, driving aggressively to force cars out of the way, speeds that would result in a prison sentence, and so on, so they don't miss a birth or death, or to be with someone who is ill... That's frightening.

The birth ones are the best...I can imagine someone standing in court hoping to keep their licence by explaining to a judge or magistrate that they didn't want to miss the birth of a daughter or son.

[Black_S3]

mph1977 said:

yep

i've been told of people turning up at none A+E hospitals , including mental health units with people who needed an Full A+E

i've also ended up stabilisaing a patient at the 'wrong' entrance of the hospital and calling for an A+E ambulance as a HCP red to transfer that patient the quarter mile across the site to the ED...


never mind HASU , primary PCI for heart attacks, Major trauma units, preferred destinations based on speciality or lack thereof ...

i can think of a coupel of 'emergency departments' that say that above the door yet the ambulance service and the VASes are instructed that they should only take certain groups of patients there if they require stabilisation that cannot be provided by a paramedic crew and the air ambulance / MERIT / BASICS are further than the runnign time to the 'wrong' A+E )

I think this is especially the case in rural areas where people are claiming 45 min response times as the reason to do other than call 999. It's not uncommon on the west coast of Scotland for fairly straight forward situations like a women in labour to end up in a helicopter to Glasgow hospital. Similar goes in built up Surrey/Sussex/Kent - I believe Kings college London is the hospital of choice for serious RTAs... again by heli. As hard as it might be to stand back....

[J4CKO]

PhillipM said:

X5TUU said:

I'm amazed at the ignorance and blind trust placed in the ambulance and PTS services ... The response times are not good and if you look at the stats for what makes it to the most critical patients within the 8min response time you'll be surprised ... That's Assuming that you have conveyed the ailment effectively to the call handler and been assigned the highest priority call (it's a word search based tool) ... I've personally known of calls that should have been 8mins responders allocated to within 24hrs times ... I appreciate being clinical I have a different perspective but people need to open their eyes more ... Plus ambulances aren't legitimately allowed to speed, think about it, when was the last time you saw a a blue lighter ambulance blazing along to get to a patient (or hospital)

Certainly a lot of people seem to think they can work miracles - god help them the day they need to ring an ambulance.
Response times, even for someone phoning through with chest pain and history of multiple heart attacks, etc, around here are okay half the time. The other 50% they're dire, as in an ambulance might turn up an hour later.
Thankfully the first-responders/paramedics around here are pretty good.

And even with blues on, they're still driving a top heavy, slow box with terrible suspension/ride quality, they don't go very fast - in fact I often beat them to the hospital, to the point where I'll have a couple of coffee's out of the vending machines sat waiting for the paramedics before they even pull up to A&E as I've already parked up, walked in and sat with a drink - and that's without speeding.
If it's not something they can stabilise before they set off the poor ride of the ambulances themselves don't help conditions either.

Edited by PhillipM on Wednesday 4th May 23:38

Accepted that ambulances may not be fast but the problem is other people, there is so much fkwittery goes one with the emergency services, we laugh at people ringing for stupid reasons but that is a call handler tied up because some cretin has been dicked on Ebay for a tenner and is ringing 99.

Then there is all the agro, every single Friday night in town centres up and down the land, people not handling drink and beating the st out of each other, same with those that make medical appointments and dont turn up because they cant be arsed or something has cleared up.

So many moan about our services but realistically its brilliant, it should be cherished, nurtured and not taken for granted, but no, you might not get an ambulance on Friday night because two Geordie Shore Wannabes have battered each other senseless in the town centre.

[Andehh]

Wife's father passed away a few years ago, and I got the call when I was 100 odd miles away that he was on his last legs and life support machine was due to be switched off. I was pretty close to the guy (or was trying to be...), and I didn't drop below low triple figures the entire journey, combined with some very very suspect weaving in and out on the motorways.

Wasn't proud of it & did regret it for a long time afterwards, but I was there to say my goodbye before they switched it all off. End of the day, just not worth risking ruining your own life/that of other's for the sake of full filling your own personnel need to say goodbye to someone about to die. A tricky one...


edit: As or wife going into labour when I was a work, I topped out at 95 odd on a clear sunny motorway which seemed sufficient. 3-4pts territory but a fair risk IMO.

Edited by Andehh on Thursday 5th May 12:51

[dalzo]

If it was a true family emergency I'd drive as fast as I safely could.

However a family member of mine fell through a window and cut the main artery in his arm, police and ambulance arrived, the copper took the wheel of the ambulance managing to get him there faster than what I possibly could, saving his life(ambulance driver had to go in with paramedic and family member due to the blood spraying out kill bill style)

[mph1977]

Black_S3 said:

I think this is especially the case in rural areas where people are claiming 45 min response times as the reason to do other than call 999. It's not uncommon on the west coast of Scotland for fairly straight forward situations like a women in labour to end up in a helicopter to Glasgow hospital. Similar goes in built up Surrey/Sussex/Kent - I believe Kings college London is the hospital of choice for serious RTAs... again by heli. As hard as it might be to stand back....

one of the reasons the Uk air ambulances are increasingly setting themselves up for night flying now it's being allowed as well as theambulance services developing their mobile critical care abilities hand -in-hand with the trauma networks and BASICS schemes.

all emergency departments are not equal because the hospitals behind them are not equal ...

[ashleyman]

Having a paramedic as a father in law I hear all the stories, he's also a fantastic driver so I hear. He honestly admits sometimes it's easier to drive there yourself than wait for an ambo.

I've been rushed to hospital with blood pouring out of my skull, way faster than what was legal. My dad got pulled over but upon seeing my dad jump out the car covered in blood running to the officer to explain, the officer told my dad to follow and we had an escort. I'm still alive now because of that.

Then when my nan was dying and I got the call to say its now or never, I drove as fast as physically possible to get from work to the hospital and within an hour of the call, 20 minutes of me arriving she was gone.

Then when my wife got told her grandad was on his last legs, I rushed her down to Portsmouth from Surrey. I was exhausted after that drive, the car was obviously hurting and I was pretty sure I'd loose my license because I stopped for nothing, luckily didn't hear anything and he did go that day also.

I have no regrets. And I know my uncles have similar stories of when their dad died and they all rushed to the hospital to be with him. Everyone is still alive, no accidents were caused and it was all done safely and within reason. Not driving like a formula one driver to get there.

[E65Ross]

Dying step-sister (she ended up dying.... Less than 3 years old)..... Going to the hospital after the ambulance I was doing 140.

She died less than 5mins after getting there, so it meant some other family members got to see her in her last few minutes. Worth the risk. It was around 11pm, mind.

[TartanPaint]

Might as well just put these here:

http://www.redcrossfirstaidtraining.co.uk/Courses/...

http://www.sja.org.uk/sja/first-aid-training-cours...

http://www.firstaid.org.uk/first-aid-at-home

If your employer needs First Aiders, stick your hand up next time; you'll get the workplace training (and refreshers) for free!

[PhillipM]

J4CKO said:

Accepted that ambulances may not be fast but the problem is other people, there is so much fkwittery goes one with the emergency services, we laugh at people ringing for stupid reasons but that is a call handler tied up because some cretin has been dicked on Ebay for a tenner and is ringing 99.

Then there is all the agro, every single Friday night in town centres up and down the land, people not handling drink and beating the st out of each other, same with those that make medical appointments and dont turn up because they cant be arsed or something has cleared up.

So many moan about our services but realistically its brilliant, it should be cherished, nurtured and not taken for granted, but no, you might not get an ambulance on Friday night because two Geordie Shore Wannabes have battered each other senseless in the town centre.

I've been in plenty of times friday/saturdays, and had to suffer the delays because 3 dumbasses are still trying to kick the st out of each other in the middle of a busy A&E ward, happens often. I've nothing but admiration for the responders, I've never said otherwise, but they can't work miracles with limited resources.

[anonymous-user]

GGibbo said:

A bit of a derail, but a rather heartwarming dit I once heard;

HM Forces do a lot of things very badly for their people, but what they always try to excel at is getting the guys home when they really need to be home.

I was told a dit of a chap in a FOB in Afghan, early on. Gets a phone message that his heavily pregnant wife is very much not well and he needs to get back asap. Tells chain of command, who escalate through the compassionate repatriation cell. He gets a chinook to get him to Bastion where there is a Royal flight BAE146 waiting. Only person on board, he is taken straight to Akrotiri, where there is a Tornado F3 waiting with a squipper to chuck some flying kit at him. He gets blasted over the med, refuelled and is in the UK a bit over 12 hours after he got he message. Which anyone who has been on a holiday to afghan will know is about 4 days shorter than normal. Makes it home to be at his wifes side.

Almost certainly some artistic licence used as the story has been passed about, but it seems M2.0 is the limit if you're really in a hurry!

Hmmm, I think that may have been embellished over a few beers, but....
Have done a few "Comp A" (Compassionate repatriation, category A) trips in Iraq and Afghanistan where we turned up and I've passed a note off the ramp of the aircraft saying simply "Looking for Private Smith, Comp A" and a couple of minutes later some bewildered squaddie has turned up, completely oblivious to the behemoth of a logistics chain currently being unfurled ahead of him. They usually departed the battlefield in whatever they were wearing at the time, with absolutely no baggage - we often ended up as custodians of weapons, grenades and other "stuff" where individuals had to strip out and ditch all their combat equipment prior to getting the next leg home which was usually a C17 out of Kandahar. There was no departure check-in. We'd taxi literally to the bottom of the steps of the C17, itself all ready to take off, and Bloggs would hop out of one aircraft and barely touch the ground before being on the next.
I've also done the UK end where we collected a bloke who's mother was dying of cancer. He flew back civ air as that was deemed the fastest route from wherever he was at the time (Oman I think) so we flew in to Heathrow to meet the flight, mixing it with all the wide bodied jets, taxying in to one of the slots outside T5 before wokkering him off to the Isle of Wight.

Regards the F3 taxi home, almost certainly fiction. You can't just turn up and get in an F3, even as a passenger. You need an enhanced medical, fitting for flying kit (which involves more than just saying "Here, try this on") and anatomical measuring to ensure you can actually fit in the cockpit and more crucially eject out of it should the need arise.
More likely is that if your mate's mate got on a 32 Sqn BAe146 at Bastion that would've gone direct to the UK.

Edited by anonymous-user on Thursday 5th May 16:51

Edited by anonymous-user on Thursday 5th May 16:57

[unsprung]

I must acknowledge the OP for creating a truly fascinating thread. I'm surprised to see so many people listing so many situations in which they would, or they have, driven with grossly excessive speed to a hospital or hospice.

It pains me to think of medical emergencies. True horror. Nevertheless, I would probably not drive with grossly excessive speed in the majority of situations, including:

- family member is already in hospital being tended to, following a serious accident
- family member in hospice is believed to be about to pass away
- family member is already in hospital being tended to while in labour

Even professional first responders are involved in accidents, en route to a call. And these professionals are specially trained and driving specially-equipped vehicles. Why would I, a non-first-responder, add further risk to an already horrible event?

Similarly, if a life-threatening event should occur in front of me, I would ring for emergency services (instead of serving as an ambulance, myself). In the vast majority of cases.

Only in the most remote or uncommon circumstances could I imagine that my efforts are likely to deliver a better outcome than trained medical professionals.

It's worth remembering: you might be unlucky enough to experience such a situation once or twice in your life; these people -- the first-responders and their systems -- experience this all day, every day.

[rambo19]

unsprung said:

I must acknowledge the OP for creating a truly fascinating thread. I'm surprised to see so many people listing so many situations in which they would, or they have, driven with grossly excessive speed to a hospital or hospice.

It pains me to think of medical emergencies. True horror. Nevertheless, I would probably not drive with grossly excessive speed in the majority of situations, including:

- family member is already in hospital being tended to, following a serious accident
- family member in hospice is believed to be about to pass away
- family member is already in hospital being tended to while in labour

Even professional first responders are involved in accidents, en route to a call. And these professionals are specially trained and driving specially-equipped vehicles. Why would I, a non-first-responder, add further risk to an already horrible event?

Similarly, if a life-threatening event should occur in front of me, I would ring for emergency services (instead of serving as an ambulance, myself). In the vast majority of cases.

Only in the most remote or uncommon circumstances could I imagine that my efforts are likely to deliver a better outcome than trained medical professionals.

It's worth remembering: you might be unlucky enough to experience such a situation once or twice in your life; these people -- the first-responders and their systems -- experience this all day, every day.

+1

My dad had a heart attack just before christmas(sadly died), I did not drive like a lunitic to get to the hospital, i'm not a doctor, so what use would I be?
If I did drive like a lunitic, all I would do is create danger for other people on the road.

[NooBish AbbZ]

Can't really put a number on it...I('d like to think i wouldn't go absolutely stupid) and would at least remain slightly aware of the possible consequences. I'd certainly be flying in the care but I would be going hella-faster on the bike though..

[GarryDK]

A few months ago my son (4 months at the time) was rushed to hospital as he woke up with blood all down his baby grow, had come from his mouth. wife called me up I had only just got to work, said ambulance was on its way, I had to tell work etc, by which time ambulance was at my house. I beat the ambulance to the hospital despite being further away. I cant tell you how fast I was going and I didn't really care I had one thing in mind, get there and see my son. Fortunately he was ok and it wasn't life threatening in the end.