Speeding MD sparks a debate

[Roadwarrior]

I guess this is best place to put this.....because it is a scenario that played out.

Should doctor racing to emergency get ticket?

There is no consensus in the case of the cop-cardiologist conundrum.

Was the police officer who gave the doctor a speeding ticket overly rigid? Was the speeding doctor overly reckless? Did both do something wrong? Did neither?

Perhaps you'd have to be a brain surgeon to figure it all out. The heart surgeons can't.

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/750010--speeding-md-sparks-a-debate?bn=1

Who's side are you on???

[Nagrom]

Almost double the speed limit...

Ticket.

[AHFR427]

I guess this is best place to put this.....because it is a scenario that played out.

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/750010--speeding-md-sparks-a-debate?bn=1

Who's side are you on???

Should doctor racing to emergency get ticket? YES

There is no consensus in the case of the cop-cardiologist conundrum. No conundrum. Cop did his job - period.

Was the police officer who gave the doctor a speeding ticket overly rigid? NO

Was the speeding doctor overly reckless? YES

Did both do something wrong? Did neither? Cop did his job and the doctor got caught.

Perhaps you'd have to be a brain surgeon to figure it all out. The heart surgeons can't. This ain't brain surgury or rocket science?

The doctor is in the wrong.

"Attempting to save a life is on a higher plane" than traffic laws, Hebert said.
Oh how holier than thou... ...and it is said that cops have a God complex.

Suppose the pius doctor gets in an accident? What then? Who would be at fault?

Same as the DC from Taranna that got dinged for stunt driving on the 401 going to a funeral in Kingston. Too bad, so sad. Suck it up and shut up.

I gotta stand by the cop on this one, no qestion in my mind.

[dentedhead]

To put it in perspective,Leaside is roghly 10-15 K from Mikes which is right downtown,best landmark Massey hall/Eaton centre.At that time of day/night I think it was 04:00 or early AM at any rate.Not much more than a 15 minute drive.

Mikes is a major teaching hospital with likely 10-12 cardiology residents and at least one cardiology intern on shift.If this doc was so super excellent why was he not doing his call on site? The doctors have some pretty comfy sleeping rooms in the hospital.So its likely the pt outcome was not dependant on him being at the bedside/table stat as they say.Often its pure ego that drives some of these specialists esp cardiologists.

I am willing to bet the cop gave him the ticket for not just the speeding, but more so his attitude.Traffic cops are also an odd lot I know a guy who got a speeding ticket in an ambulance going to sunnybrook.I personally heard a central traffic cop say before he retired he was going to "do" a TFD D/C for speeding.Sorry to digress,if the good Dr calmly explained the situation and why he was speeding the copper likely would have let him go or as has been done before give him an escort or at least set it up to have intersections blocked.

Good on the cop for sticking to his duty.

Dentedhead

[kriand]

To put it in perspective,Leaside is roghly 10-15 K from Mikes which is right downtown,best landmark Massey hall/Eaton centre.At that time of day/night I think it was 04:00 or early AM at any rate.Not much more than a 15 minute drive.

Mikes is a major teaching hospital with likely 10-12 cardiology residents and at least one cardiology intern on shift.If this doc was so super excellent why was he not doing his call on site? The doctors have some pretty comfy sleeping rooms in the hospital.So its likely the pt outcome was not dependant on him being at the bedside/table stat as they say.Often its pure ego that drives some of these specialists esp cardiologists.

I am willing to bet the cop gave him the ticket for not just the speeding, but more so his attitude.Traffic cops are also an odd lot I know a guy who got a speeding ticket in an ambulance going to sunnybrook.I personally heard a central traffic cop say before he retired he was going to "do" a TFD D/C for speeding.Sorry to digress,if the good Dr calmly explained the situation and why he was speeding the copper likely would have let him go or as has been done before give him an escort or at least set it up to have intersections blocked.

Good on the cop for sticking to his duty.

Dentedhead

Agreed, what's next a plumber going to an emergency?? An electrician, a Barber??

[FiremanLGT]

The doc's Speeding would probably only have gotten him to the hospital 2-3 minutes faster. How often do you see someone driving like an idiot....only to pull up to red light and see them beside you...again and again and again. Speeding doesn't get you from point A to point B as fast as people think it does, stop signs, red lights and traffic are a great equalizing factor.

From watching polls on tv, internet and newspapers the public seems to be siding wih the doc. Geez, I drive the big red truck with all the lights, sirens and air horn and don't come close to doing 35km over the speed limit.....it's more important to get there safely rather than 20 seconds faster. The Docs Lexus/Mecedes/BMW/etc may have lots of neat options but I'm quite confden it's not equiped like an Ambulance/Fire Truck/Police car.

I'm sure cops hear some pretty lavish and ridiculous excuses....how would he even know if the Doc was telling the truth or a giant fib. Pay the $300 ticket Doc, I'm pretty sure you can afford it.

[t_lag]

Maybe the doc should have had a green light on the dash!!

Although I hate to bring such a "heated topic" :rolleyes: to the thread, it's no different than a volunteer ff speeding to a fire scene.............

[mattcurry]

I'm sure the general public will support the doctor simply based on the general misguided, media-fed feeling towards the police. Unfortunately it will take an identical situation with the doctor running down a kid crossing the street to sway the public and media's spin on it. I agree with DH in that his attitude was likely a factor, and had he properly explained the situation things would likely have been different. Also, had the doctor kept his yap shut about the incident when he arrived at the hospital, and had the partner of this fella not run to the media as a first resort, we'd be living in a better world.

-MC

[WolfmanHarris]

The reason they let the cath team do their on-calls off site is that it takes time to prep the pt. for the angio. When the ER identified the STEMI they would have alerted the cath team and while waiting for them to come in they would have continued to treat the pt. and move him to the cath lab to await the team. When the same pt. is brought in by EMS we alert the team while en route. The benchmark for door to balloon time is 90 minutes for a reason. Time is critical, but not so critical seconds count. If it were they would pay these teams to take shifts AT the hospital.

I've heard members of the public compare this to FD, EMS or PD rushing to calls entirely ignorant to the difference between a marked vehicle proceeding L&S, having traffic yield to them and someone driving aggressively in their POV.

[dentedhead]

The reason they let the cath team do their on-calls off site is that it takes time to prep the pt. for the angio. When the ER identified the STEMI they would have alerted the cath team and while waiting for them to come in they would have continued to treat the pt. and move him to the cath lab to await the team. When the same pt. is brought in by EMS we alert the team while en route. The benchmark for door to balloon time is 90 minutes for a reason. Time is critical, but not so critical seconds count. If it were they would pay these teams to take shifts AT the hospital.

I've heard members of the public compare this to FD, EMS or PD rushing to calls entirely ignorant to the difference between a marked vehicle proceeding L&S, having traffic yield to them and someone driving aggressively in their POV.

I realize that Drs mainly do call at home.I have also seen highly respected specialists spend the night in the on call room,or some have beds in their offices in the hospital.I know it may not be as comfy as the 1000 count egyptian cotton sheets with the substance abusing trophy wife come well sweatered soccer mom lying beside you but I doubt he would get a speeding ticket while being concerned about his self importance.

My point is that if you are the go to guy in a hospital chances are you will be getting paged/phoned at home a few times through the night.My wife on more than one occasion would have to call a specialist back an hour after he left.She would alsways tell the doc whether he need to rush or just get there
in reasonable time.

dentedhead

[WolfmanHarris]

My point is that if you are the go to guy in a hospital chances are you will be getting paged/phoned at home a few times through the night.


My point wasn't that they're usually at home, it's that they're home because they're not needed in seconds. If an MD is going to argue that they should be able to speed in for these pt.'s than they shouldn't have an issue with having to pull their on-call shifts at the hospital.

[CKL958]

Honestly, lets think back, I'll help....

http://www.firehall.com/forum/showthread.php?t=13313


Now the difference between these two was...........

1) Doc didn't hit anybody
2) Maybe a green flashing light
3) Luck on the doc's part???

Anyone that is putting the public in danger deserves the ticket. Firefighter, police, paramedic, doctor.

[jedi]

arrive alive! - thats our motto in the coast guard. you are no good to anyone if you never get to your destination.

I have been paged to many calls over the years, but I have only gone past the speed limit ONCE. (I was only going 65-70, but speeding none the less). It was late at night and we got a call of a plane going down. In the end, the plane crashed on land just before the water so we were stood down. Everyone died on impact. those few minutes saved by speeding would not have helped anyway.

moral of the story - I learned my lesson. I won't be speeding to any more calls. no matter how much adrenaline is pumping.

I can understand the doctor's resentment over the ticket. (I am sure I would be angry too) In a way I think the ticket was a little too much. BUT it is probably the only way that doc, and others, will realize the should not be speeding. if everyone always got a pass on tickets, then everyone would just keep speeding.

[Forms]

Wouldn't happen in BC.

Any vehicle can claim rights, under the motor vehicle act in the province of BC, of an emergency responding unit, if...

they are responding to a legit emergency and if they are carying first aid equipment in the vehicle.

[CKL958]

Wouldn't happen in BC.

Any vehicle can claim rights, under the motor vehicle act in the province of BC, of an emergency responding unit, if...

they are responding to a legit emergency and if they are carying first aid equipment in the vehicle.

Did the doc remember his first aid kit though.....