Thread: Doctor penalised for failing to assist after car crash

Originally Posted by korg20000bc

"Sorry, I actually haven't used my training in years so hold tight and try to keep yourself alive until I get to the police station and let them know... Oh, sorry, you died..."

We're big enough and in some situations, tough enough to look after ourselves, but think small woman, dark road, potentially alcohol and/or drugged and possibly very aggressive 'victims'.

All the women I know are terrified of that situation, my partner has been on the receiving end in a country ED where she's the only person there, plus a couple of other nurses in other parts of the hospital (and 'Security' was a 60yo female cleaner)
That is a far more controlled situation and she was shaken by the experience.

A dark road at the top end of WA and a lone white woman....

Originally Posted by rick130

We're big enough and in some situations, tough enough to look after ourselves, but think small woman, dark road, potentially alcohol and/or drugged and possibly very aggressive 'victims'.

All the women I know are terrified of that situation, my partner has been on the receiving end in a country ED where she's the only person there, plus a couple of other nurses in other parts of the hospital (and 'Security' was a 60yo female cleaner)
That is a far more controlled situation and she was shaken by the experience.

A dark road in the night at the top end of WA and a lone white woman....

Exactly.....

The West Australian
<img alt="" height="1" width="1" />
Doctors uneasy about aid rule
The West Australian
In November, the tribunal found Dr Leila Dekker guilty of improper conduct because she did not stop to offer assistance when an out-of-control Land Rover narrowly missed her car near Roebourne and rolled into a ditch. Dr Dekker told the tribunal she ...




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Originally Posted by korg20000bc

"Sorry, I actually haven't used my training in years so hold tight and try to keep yourself alive until I get to the police station and let them know... Oh, sorry, you died..."

O.K lets analyse your comment.

• The radiologist may have only done one year as an intern before moving to the radiology specialty and there is no guarantee that in that year she actually worked in an emergency department.
• Since that time she has been surrounded by multi million dollar machines and trained staff so had no need to lay hands on patients.
• The location of the event was dark and dangerous.
• She had no phone.
• How long would she have to be treating the bunch of possibly drunken individuals in the crashed vehicle until professional first responders arrived? (Remember she has not called for help.)

Of course I understand her decision!
She chose the safe and sensible thing to do.
If one of my daughters did as she did I'd say the same thing.
But, if one of my kids, in that situation, went and at least checked if the person was alright even though they'd assessed the situation as potentially dangerous I'd really applaud their courage.

Even ****** and arseholes are humans and it effects us how we treat them.

Also, it could have been a grandmother with 3 kids in the car who was having a heart attack...

Originally Posted by korg20000bc

Of course I understand her decision!
She chose the safe and sensible thing to do.
If one of my daughters did as she did I'd say the same thing.
But, if one of my kids, in that situation, went and at least checked if the person was alright even though they'd assessed the situation as potentially dangerous I'd really applaud their courage.

Even ****** and arseholes are humans and it effects us how we treat them.

Also, it could have been a grandmother with 3 kids in the car who was having a heart attack...

And it could have been Mohamed Elomar and Khaled Sharrouf or his mates in the car.

Guys, it could have been anyone, agreed, but with any assessment, it is based upon time, place and circumstance, and having been thru that area and worked up North, the chances were that it was more than likely a car full of drunks, not a granny and kids.

If this was just outside Perth, different circumstances, yes and she should have stopped, but it wasn't.

It's very easy to condemn afterwards - the old armchair umpire as it were, but when it's you having to make that decision at the time, it's a different story.....

All emergency services personnel, and first aid people are taught that number one priority is your own safety, then any victims with property a distant last.

We are making this argument on no information on who was actually in the car, but my experience makes me believe I might have done the same thing as her anyway.

Originally Posted by TD50WA

Guys, it could have been anyone, agreed, but with any assessment, it is based upon time, place and circumstance, and having been thru that area and worked up North, the chances were that it was more than likely a car full of drunks, not a granny and kids.

If this was just outside Perth, different circumstances, yes and she should have stopped, but it wasn't.

It's very easy to condemn afterwards - the old armchair umpire as it were, but when it's you having to make that decision at the time, it's a different story.....

All emergency services personnel, and first aid people are taught that number one priority is your own safety, then any victims with property a distant last.

We are making this argument on no information on who was actually in the car, but my experience makes me believe I might have done the same thing as her anyway.

You and me both Kev.

I was working not too far from Roebourne back in those days, and no way I'd be stopping in those circumstances either, unless I could easily light up the vehicle and be pretty sure of what / who was inside, and that there was not "company" around in the form of another vehicle etc.