More 911 stupidity

[AmbulanceDriver]

Taken from the, "You've gotta be s***ting me!" files....

Caller calls 911, asks for an ambulance.

No problem.

She wants the ambulance to take her to the 7-11.



See, turns out she's outta smokes, and is having nicotine withdrawals.

WTF?!?!?!?!?!?

[Perd Hapley]

Did they show up and defibrillate her? Please say yes.

[lee n. field]

Did they show up and defibrillate her? Please say yes.

I like the way you think.

[Hutch]

Honest question: are there consequences for this sort of behavior?

[MillCreek]

Honest question: are there consequences for this sort of behavior?

Generally speaking, no.  In some jurisdictions, there can be possible criminal charges for making false 911 calls or calling emergency services in the absence of a true emergency, but for a call like this, it would be a waste of time to file such charges.  The chances of a conviction are very low.

[Hutch]

I realize that the benefits to the public good would be small from a "felony stupid" conviction, but since the 911 calls are recorded, how could such a dimwit escape such a conviction?  I mean, recorded call, and at least one credible witness (the responder) to hear the perp say:  "Need a ride to the store for cigarettes".  Probably a digression, but damnit man, where does this end?

[MillCreek]

I realize that the benefits to the public good would be small from a "felony stupid" conviction, but since the 911 calls are recorded, how could such a dimwit escape such a conviction?  I mean, recorded call, and at least one credible witness (the responder) to hear the perp say:  "Need a ride to the store for cigarettes".  Probably a digression, but damnit man, where does this end?

If she was smart or properly advised, she would claim that she thought that nicotine withdrawal was a medical emergency or that she feared for her health and well-being.  Thus, she thought it was appropriate to call 911 to deal with her perceived emergency.  No jury would convict on this.  Convictions on this sort of thing generally require malice or that the caller knew there was no emergency but called nonetheless and responding units showed up.

PS: I do recall many years ago in criminal procedure reading of a case in which someone in NYC pulled a fire alarm box for kicks. One of the responding firefighters fell off the back of the truck and was killed while enroute to the alarm box. The person who pulled the fire alarm box was successfully convicted for felony manslaughter.

[MechAg94]

If she was smart or properly advised, she would claim that she thought that nicotine withdrawal was a medical emergency or that she feared for her health and well-being.  Thus, she thought it was appropriate to call 911 to deal with her perceived emergency.  No jury would convict on this.  Convictions on this sort of thing generally require malice or that the caller knew there was no emergency but called nonetheless and responding units showed up.

PS: I do recall many years ago in criminal procedure reading of a case in which someone in NYC pulled a fire alarm box for kicks. One of the responding firefighters fell off the back of the truck and was killed while enroute to the alarm box. The person who pulled the fire alarm box was successfully convicted for felony manslaughter.

I guess it would be hard to get 12 people like me on the jury.  I would have no problem convicting.

[MrsSmith]

I guess it would be hard to get 12 people like me on the jury.  I would have no problem convicting.

We all live too far away from you to be on the same jury as you.
 

[Scout26]

Yep me too.  I'd make three.


And bet the three of us could convince the other nine to convict.....

[vaskidmark]

There are several blogs that "document" antics of this sort.  While exceedingly funny on the surface such calls tie up and divert scarce resources that others may be needing.  Some jurisdictions seem not to allow their dispatchers to make executive medical decisions about the need of the caller for the presence of the loud whilte box so must send a crew even when the need is obviously not present.  And since some of these jurisdictions also dispatch fire and police as First Responders the tying up of resources becomes fairly massive, as well as increasing the danger to responders and the general public.

The bloggers mentioned above have on occassion expressed a desire to edumacate callers of this type, and some of those that blog annonymously do hint at medical care a bit lower than the AED paddles.  Syrup of Icapac comes to my memory on a few occassions.

stay safe.

[MillCreek]

And in this area, you get the occasional maritime yahoo who thinks it is funny to launch red flares or call in a false distress call on the radio to the Coast Guard, who promptly scrambles a Dolphin helicopter and boat or two.  That, however, is clearly a crime done in malice, as opposed to stupidity or ignorance. As much as we might like it to be, stupidity or ignorance is often not criminal.

[Doggy Daddy]

Yep me too.  I'd make three.


And bet the three of us could convince the other nine to convict.....

I'll take that bet.  I'm a bit more pessimistic re: the possibility of getting others to see truth when it stares them in the face.  I was on a jury a few years ago.  The "accused" had robbed a convenience store.  The evidence was absolutely overwhelming!  We had crystal clear video with sound.  We had the knife he waved around at the clerk.  We had witnesses.  We had the cops who had just happened to be driving by as the perp exited the store and created a further disturbance around the gas pumps.  These same cops (2 patrol cars) chased him down and captured him hiding behind a washing machine in the laundry of an apartment building right behind the store.

The jury forewoman (she'd fit well on this forum!) and I both tried over several days to convince one holdout that the guy was guilty as sin itself.  The holdout would not budge.  His reason?  People lie.  His brother had a girlfriend in college who lied and said that his brother got her pregnant when he really didn't.  Therefore, people lie and we can't trust the witnesses (or the video, or the audio, etc. etc. etc.).

The forewoman and I wouldn't budge either.  We hung the jury, and after court we advised the prosecutor on what the weak points of her case were, and what went on in the deliberations.  She had figured the holdout for a sure vote to convict, since he was an EMT and she felt he would relate well to the cop's testimony.  She was wrong.

I never did find out how the next trial went.  Oh, after it was all over the judge read the perp's history to the jury.  He had quite a record.

DD

[Hutch]

Human evolution has stopped, and societal evolution is in retrograde, because there just aren't enough fool-killers left.  The idjits is breedin' like rabbits, and we're payin' to raise their git.    I'm not felling all kumbaya, right now.

[Doggy Daddy]

   I'm not felling all kumbaya, right now.

Does someone need a hug?

[MrsSmith]

I sat on a jury with a hold out once. Vicious crime, black guy raped/murdered 16 y.o. white girl. Jury made up of half black folks, half white folks, 11 of us knew the son of a bitch was guilty as hell, but one old black man held out saying that he couldn't convict without an eye witness because he was tired of seeing black boys go down just because they were black. (No direct witnesses, but plenty of witnesses to the fact that  he drove around with her dead body in the trunk of his car for a week showing her off and bragging to his friends about his actions, and his bragging was backed up by testimony from the ME. The old man said he hadn't understood half of what the ME explained in her testimony though.)
We spent an entire day locked in the jury room trying to convince this guy. I didn't say a whole lot. I was young and didn't feel I had the world experience to make my opinions or thoughts of any great importance. But by the end of the day even my patience was wearing thin and I made a little speech. I can't recall anymore what I said now, but I was pretty damn passionate about it, and the guy finally changed his tune and convicted.

Sometimes words, if expressed well enough, will open another person's eyes. And sometimes they don't. But ya' gotta try.

[BlueStarLizzard]

Nocotine withdrawel? *snort* being pissy, headachy and shakey does not constitute a 911 call.

DTs from alcohol withdrawel might, though. Though, were I a first responder and thought I could get away with it, I might be a bit slow on responce, since a good set of DTs might convince the person to change their ways....

[Tallpine]

I can't believe some of the ambulance calls we hear on the scanner ...

Lady doesn't feel good and wants to go to the hospital.

Kid may have a broken arm (don't you have a car and know how to drive ?)

 


Maybe it's just me - I tend to roll and come back up even if I am hurt.  I've got back on and ridden my horse with a broken rib, and a broken arm (2 incidents).

An old lady about a mile away fell off her deck, and they called our FD even though we are not EMS of any flavor.  She was screaming and crying so bad it seemed she must have multiple broken bones and I wondered if she would survive given her age and apparent injuries and weather (middle of winter).  I helped clear out a bunch of junk so they could get the stretcher from the ambulance to her.  Later I heard she just had some bruises and was fine. 

[Boomhauer]

Nocotine withdrawel? *snort* being pissy, headachy and shakey does not constitute a 911 call.

DTs from alcohol withdrawel might, though. Though, were I a first responder and thought I could get away with it, I might be a bit slow on responce, since a good set of DTs might convince the person to change their ways....

Bluestar, we rarely have the full story on what we are walking into when it's dispatched. Some details during dispatch, but not much. I've been to many calls for people who turn out to be drunk but perfectly OK and we never know until we get there. And I've been to many DUI scenes where I wish we could just finish off the drunk for the good of society because he's a frequent flier DUIer.

[Hawkmoon]

Oh, after it was all over the judge read the perp's history to the jury.  He had quite a record.

I'll bet the judge lied, too. They do that, you know ...

[Scout26]

The jury I sat on we had two holdouts.

Dead Little 7 yo. Girl.  Cerebal trauma and other beating injuries. Mom, Stepdad and 2 brothers (twins-4 months old) in apartment at time.  Mom arrested and put on trial.  Pictures were horrific.

Evidence:  She confessed twice, once at scene, once in DCFS investigators office (on camera, didn't know one was in waiting room.)  Recanted both.

There were several issues that the holdouts didn't like.  Lack of DNA evidence, their testimony on the stand (Rule 1, Never testify in your own defense.) 

The holdouts just couldn't think that Mom did it.  I went through point by point.  Daughter result of Rape in Mexico (Did I mention they were all illegals? YEAH Illinois!!!).  Snuck into US at big $$$ to be with Mom, then she lost job, so daughter seen as liability.  Mom didn't really like her to begin with, but relatives in Mexico were getting tired of watching/having her.  Stepdad had hurt right arm at work (separated shoulder) the day before and was off work.  Would have been very, very difficult for him to hold and inflict the blows that killed her. 

His actions/body language/facial expression on the stand were indicative of someone telling the truth and "replaying the tape" of events of that day.

Her actions, combative, arrogant, story changed several times, body language/facial expressions of someone making up a story/lying.

They were hung up by the lack of DNA evidence.  As I pointed out, what would that prove, we already know/accounted for everyone who lived in the apartment/was there at the time.  (I hate CSI, et al.)  My explanation of her body language/facial expressions versus his, finally swayed the two holdouts.  The State's Attorney didn't ask for the Death Penalty, but we maxed her out.