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I just found a guy passed out

In my work parking lot. He’s in his early twenties at most. The hotel next door is a homeless shelter. He was passed out and had a box with different coloured pills on the ground beside him. He was breathing but I couldn’t wake him. I called 911. A worker from the hotel came over and was able to get the young guy to wake up and got him speaking. I told him I’m on the phone with 911 and they’re sending an ambulance. He started crying and begged me to cancel the ambulance. The worker said he’d take him back to the hotel and keep an eye on him and call 911 if needed. I was told they’d hold him for up to 3 days and make him detox.

I hope I made the right decision to cancel ambulance

This is my second time finding someone in this situation. The last one was only about 14 years old
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sarabee1995 · 26-30, F
I was in a similar situation some years ago. I didn't cancel the ambulance and, yes, they kept her for some time (I forget how long). I don't know if it was specifically to detox or just for observation, but detox makes sense. She has never spoken to me again.

As with you, I don't know if I made the right decision, but in the moment I couldn't trust her to go on her merry way. In your case you had volunteers from the hotel offering to watch him. So idk. 🤷‍♀
@sarabee1995 you made the right decision. One just go with one’s conscience in such moments. Sad that she never thanked you for caring enough.
Offthetop · 56-60, M
In BC lots of people get training and carry Narcan for situations like this. Cancelling the ambulance was risky- better to have them attend and decide if anything is needed.
Jenny1234 · 56-60, F
@Offthetop although they have nurses at the hotel, I do hope he’s ok. I’m so conflicted
DeWayfarer · 61-69, M
As someone stated already it's not possible to call off 911 ambulances in the USA. There's a reason for that policy.

Not judging you. Yet there are reasons for that policy.
Baremine · 70-79, C
The sad thing is that detox and rehab have a very high failure rate.
My daughter detoxed numerous times rehab twice. Died at 41. Her liver destroyed by vodka. It only works when the victim wants it to work.
Jenny1234 · 56-60, F
@Baremine I’m so sorry 😥
Rickichickie · 61-69, F
@Baremine, that’s so sad! I’m sorry for your loss.
one time we had a guy come into our office and use the restroom....but to smoke fentanyl or meth or whatever. he was in a stall. when i walked in the stench was so overwhelming. it was like a chemical smell i can't describe and the smoke was of a weird consistency....he wouldn't leave until we started beating down the door. these addicts really don't care about private or public property....people are starting to move out of ritzy parts of vancouver because they are doing their drugs in their doorways....i'm getting sick and tired of them "running" the city. fortunately i live in a town that doesn't have a train station linking it to downtown
Dino11 · M
All we can do is try, Good Job Jenny!

That is on all the Streets of San Francisco,
Hundreds of new hyperdermic needles
Each morning.
Thrust · 56-60, M
@Dino11

Need Karl Malden back to patrol those streets
I was at our local park and found a girl, maybe 15 on the ground with foam coming out of her mouth. Two guys with her were obviously well sauced as well, telling everyone she was fine. An ambulance arrived shortly after. No idea if that girl lived.
swirlie · 31-35
Always remember that if you call an ambulance but then cancel, you will always be on record as being the last known person to be with him.

The last known person is not the hotel worker because that worker isn't on record as being there and ultimately tending to the guy's needs because HE never made the call to 911, you did.

If the drug addict turns up dead in a parking lot an hour later and someone else calls an ambulance, the question that will be asked to you by police is, what connection do you have with this fellow or his death?, because your 911 call placed you at the scene an hour earlier which of course you cancelled.

Question is, why did you cancel the call? How can you prove that someone from the hotel came along and took the guy away with him? Do you know for sure if that guy was a hotel employee? Do you know for sure where he took the drug addict after they left you? Can you prove that you didn't kill the drug addict in the parking lot yourself by giving him more drugs? Are you his junkie?

When it comes to making 911 calls for any reason whatsoever, you immediately place yourself at the scene through your phone record to 911, which means you could be a witness to something and you could also be the perpetrator of a crime. That is why you should always ask someone else to call 911 to report a situation rather than doing it yourself, unless of course you have no other choice but to call yourself because nobody else is around.

But if you have no other choice and you make the 911 call, stick with it and stay with the guy until the EMS show up and then you identify yourself as the person who made the call. Then be prepared to give a statement to police. If the hotel worker took the guy with him, you must follow him and call 911 again to report their new location.

If your'e going to play the game of 'good Samaritan', you must always cover your own asss first, otherwise you become the prime suspect for anything you call 911 about which sometimes happens through guilt, including a fire that you are reporting. Did you start the fire? Are you an arsonist who starts fires and then calls 911 to report them so you can watch the fire trucks arrive?

Always remember, you place yourself at the scene anytime you call 911.
Cancel an ambulance? I don't think you can do that here in the States. Once they're called, that's it.
Jenny1234 · 56-60, F
@MsSwan yes you can here. I’m in Canada
Coralmist · 41-45, F
@MsSwan I believe if the ambulance arrives in the U.S. you can still decline going
Thank you for doing something and not leaving him
Jenny1234 · 56-60, F
@Ghostinthemachine another “guest” at his hotel, a woman around the same age, walked by as I was calling 911. She said “get up JJ and stop being such an attention seeker”. I wanted to scream at her for being so insensitive
@Jenny1234 One time at a park we heard screaming for help. We ran over to the river. A woman had overdosed and her partner was in no shape to help her. We called 911 while my friend administered CPR. I believe she survived
Jenny1234 · 56-60, F
@Ghostinthemachine thank god you were there!
Degbeme · 70-79, M
I think that person should have left him and let the paramedics make that call.
Jenny1234 · 56-60, F
@Degbeme I didn’t want to cancel it but he begged me and was crying. I feel bad for him and guilty for cancelling. I’m torn.
Degbeme · 70-79, M
@Jenny1234 I`d be torn too. I hope he`ll be alright
@Jenny1234 It's not your fault. That choice should not even be left up to you.
caccoon · 36-40
Thank you for helping him. How heartbreaking.

You definitely made the right decision.
HobNoblin · 36-40, M
I saw some weirdo junky slumped over his steering wheel. He'd rolled to a stop under a bridge and his car was almost touching a bridge pillar. I called the cops to come and get him. He looked a mess.
Tminus6453 · M
I wouldnt have cancelled the ambulance, addicts wont fix themselves so he can deal with the medics on that one
Sounds like opiates of some kind….so sad
YoMomma ·
Are they going to let you know if he’s ok? 😐
Jenny1234 · 56-60, F
@YoMomma no.
W T H? So sad!
Did you grope his junk?
HoeBag · 46-50, F
Next time it happens you should call the trash truck. 😄

 
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