Reader wrote to us via Facebook:
I’ll briefly describe what happened to me today [20 August – ed. istotne.pl]. At around 4:30 p.m. […], on our way home, near the Millennium Cross, my Wife and I noticed a man lying by the roadside. I couldn’t stop; there was a line of vehicles behind us. I don’t know whether he was a bum or drunk... Or perhaps he had a heart attack or a stroke? So I called the Municipal Guard. The very polite duty officer said there were no patrols, that everyone was at the Ceramics Festival, and asked me to call 112, so I did. The duty officer took the report and said the Police would come. OK.
And he continued:
I managed to get home, parked the car, and the phone rang. I answered... The man introduced himself as a paramedic and asked whether I was the one who had called an ambulance. I said it wasn’t an ambulance I had called, but 112. He replied that the Police and an ambulance had been called and began threatening me... with criminal liability for not stopping, for not checking whether the man needed help, and for giving the wrong street, because he had been lying on Komuny Paryskiej, not Łokietka. Finally, he told me to expect a summons to the Police station and a financial penalty for an unjustified ambulance call. He really tore into me... He wouldn’t give his surname...
The Reader’s comment:
So much is said about callousness and indifference... And here you have it! I called because I didn’t want to later read on Istotne that [...], a HUMAN BEING had died because everyone didn’t care... I called...
In his text, the Reader also appealed to the paramedic in question: – Think, if you are capable of it, how many people, after receiving a phone call from someone like you, will not call 112, fearing a financial penalty or criminal liability?! How many people will die lying in the street?! Get a grip and bite your tongue before you call someone who has requested help again and start threatening them! Finally, think about where your salary comes from! […] I hope I receive that summons to the Police, or even to court; perhaps I’ll have the opportunity to look you straight in the eye!
We asked Zespół Opieki Zdrowotnej w Bolesławcu about the matter. Here is the facility’s official comment:
We have investigated the matter described.
The conversation between the head of the emergency medical team [...] and the reader did indeed take place on 20 August 2021. During the conversation, the paramedic informed the reporting person that nobody had been found at the location provided, although a large area around the reported site had been searched together with a police patrol. During the conversation, the paramedic explained the applicable procedures for dealing with similar situations.
As the person reporting the incident, the Reader saw someone lying down but did not provide immediate assistance, and therefore did not check whether that person actually needed help. This is particularly significant because he suspected a heart attack or stroke. It should be remembered that, under Article 162 of the Criminal Code, everyone is obliged to provide first aid when they see a situation threatening another person’s health or life. It does not matter whether one was involved in an accident, witnessed it, or merely saw its consequences – one cannot pass by such an incident indifferently.
In his letter to your editorial office, the reporting person stated that he was unable to stop even though there is a large car park next to the location provided, where he could easily have left his vehicle.
ZOZ adds: – Because of the Reader’s negligence described above, the emergency medical team lost time searching for the incident location, while it could have been providing medical services.
What do you think? We invite you to discuss.