Terrible fall getting of Getaway this morning

[cowboygene]

Just off the Getaway this morning and witnessed a senior citizen fall all the way down a set of stairs.

We were self assisting our luggage and just as we reached the elevator, a senior citizen in attempting to walk down the stairs fell to the first landing. We saw her laying at the bottom bleeding heavily from a laceration to the forehead.

Having been in emergency services, I tried to go assist her, but, was prevented from crossing the barricade.

Totally unimpressed by the terminal staff...they just stood and stared for several minutes until the professionals arrived...feeling very sorry for this passenger

[Two Wheels Only]

Sadly, these things have happened before and will happen again. Stairs and escalators plus large groups of people can often lead to falls.

 

As for not assisting until the professionals arrived, it's probably a liability issue. If a non-professional does anything, it could lead to a lawsuit.

[StolidCruiser]

This is a sad situation but if the individual had a back or neck injury and was attended poorly by an untrained Samaritan serious physical injury could result. What may seem uncaring is actually reacting cautiously.

 

"First do no harm."

 

Anyone with emergency service experience would understand this.

[cruise crazed]

Anyone can offer assistance under the Good Samaritan Law.

[NLH Arizona]

Best that they didn't get involved. When someone falls, they usually want to get up and want you to help them and that would have been the worst thing someone could do, as they need to stay there until qualified help comes. They should have, however IMHO, gone over to her telling her to stay still (so she wouldn't move), comforted her and let her know that help was on the way.

Edited February 12, 2017 by NLH Arizona

[DinaS]

Anyone can offer assistance under the Good Samaritan Law.

 

And anyone who considers offering assistance should understand that a person (of any age) who falls down a set of stairs could have sustained serious back or neck injuries.

 

ANY MOVEMENT - even so much as touching/moving her head even in the slightest way - could result in further injury including paralysis - or worse.

 

Believe it or not, bleeding from the face/head USUALLY looks worse than it really is, and the more important thing would be for medical professionals to stabilize her neck/spine before offering further treatment.

 

Hopefully she is doing OK, and hopefully she had travel insurance.

[BirdTravels]

Anyone can offer assistance under the Good Samaritan Law.

 

Yes, but if you don't know what you are doing, you could cause permanent or fatal injuries to the individual. Do you want to be responsible for "comforting" an injured person and causing permanent paralysis? If it is not a matter of life or death (e.g., pulling someone from a burning car), then stay clear.

[ColinIllinois]

(snip)..

Hopefully she is doing OK, and hopefully she had travel insurance.

 

 

I'm sure ordinary insurance would cover it.

[sanger727]

Ok, if they literally just stood and stared, that isn't acceptable. I'm not claiming that they should try to move her but the minimum would be to call 911 (which it sounds like they did), and talk to her. Tell her that help is on the way and not to move because she had a fall. Think most of that is obvious even without first aid training. Just letting her know (which also lets everyone else know) that the situation is under control keeps her (and everyone else) calm.

 

I dont know if she landed face up or face down but you can suffocate from lying face down. Talking to her and making sure she's breathing is essential. Paralysis is better than dead.

 

 

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