What should I have done?

[sherrardk]

Driving to town this morning, I saw someone lying half in and half out of the road who was trying to get back on their feet. I parked the car (well stopped, I am crap at parking) and saw it was an old lady. She wanted me to help her up and I tried but she was too heavy for me on my own and I didn't want to hurt her. Fortunately someone else stopped (eventually, seemed like ages) and she helped me get the lady up. Sould I have left her there and phoned an ambulance, due to the fact that she could have broken something? (PS - she seemed ok, shaken and with a badly cut hand but the other lady took her to the doctor's surgery just up the road (which was good as the lady's hand was bleeding and bruised and I am v bad with blood)).

[tenrec]

It's a difficult one. I think you are not supposed to move someone as a) they may be more injured than first appears, and b) you could damage your back trying to lift them.

[Canary42]

Don't beat yourself up about it (in fact give yourself a pat on the back) - maybe calling an ambulance would be better, but you did your best at the time and hindsight can be a real bu99er.

[Anngel]

Yes, you should phone an ambulance. That said, it was not safe to leave her half on the road and the first aid instructions always say move as little as possible but in a safe place.

[pizza]

Although you acted with the best intentions, you should not have moved the lady as she could have had injuries that were made worse without professional medical help.as tenrec has said.
In these cases it's best to call for an ambulance, keep the injured party as warm as possible and give reassurance until help arrives.
However in this day and age it's well done to you for caring.

[sherrardk]

I was really torn, she was desperate to get up and I wanted her to stay put, especially as I couldn't physically life her myself. Then this other lady showed up (boy, was I grateful!) and started to lift her so I had to help. Hopefully, I won't have to make this decision again. Poor old love, probably really sore and shaky tonight. She wasn't far from her house (she told us which number she lived at) so I might go and see if she is ok in the next day or so.

[Anngel]

This country could use a few (actually a lot) more people as caring and thoughtful as you!!

[Purple_Popple]

You went to her aid, that in itself is very brave of you to do, you should be proud of yourself ! Well done and give yourself a pat on the back ! :)

[sherrardk]

Got to be honest, as I was making the decision to stop the car I was hoping it wasn't some drunk or druggie lying there (don't know why I stopped though, I have a really weak stomach and don't 'do' blood and gore).

[daffy654]

You were fine to move her, she was hardly likely to have life threatening injuries from falling into the road, she may well have been badly hurt or killed if you hadn't helped to move her though.

[piggynose]

if this was the usa, would you have asked to see her medical insurance first?

[sherrardk]

I don't know. Why is that relevant? I'm just wondering if I did the right thing, just hope I didn't make things worse (don't old ladies break their hips really easily?).

[Kiki-frog]

You did the right thing, sherrard. She wanted to get up, which suggests that she wasn't too badly hurt. If only more people were as caring. x

[pastafreak]

I had a similar experience a year or so ago. I was walking the dog in the local park,and saw two ederly ladies having a stroll. One stumbled and fell-so I went straight over to them to see if I could help. With the dog,I realised I couldn't really help her -so I called over a gentleman who was within earshot. He was able to lift her up....and she went on her way. I think I made an instinctive decision as to whether or not she needed professional help-just going by what I saw,and how she behaved. It's all you can do,really.

[sherrardk]

I will go and see her tomorrow to make sure she's ok (and put my mind to rest that I did the right thing, sure she's ok though).

[Ann]

Bless you for caring Sherrard - some people would "have walked by on the other side" - you are a Good Samaritan x

[Dee Sa]

I think it would be a nice gesture to knock and enquire, maybe take a small bunch of flowers ?

[EvianBaby]

Last year on our way to a funeral mr and my then bf were driving down a road when a man in the pavement suddenly fell flat on his back. We stopped and rushed over to him and I swear I thought he was dead. His eyes were rolled to the back of his head and he had a gash on the back of it which was bleeding. He came around while my bf was on the phone to the ambulance and and he wanted to get up but we were told not to let him so I got a picnic blanket out the car and made him lie on that. We almost had to hold him down. Luckily the ambulance arrived pretty quickly and whipped him off to hospital. I phoned his wife a few days later to see if he was ok and she said they didn't know why he'd fallen but he was now scared to leave the house on his own. Poor bloke. The stupid thing is that the rumour mill got into action in the village and people seeing my car by the side of the road and a man lying on the ground mus have meant we had knocked him over. It took weeks for those rumours to stop.

I think you did the right thing though, if she seemed ok to walk and wanted to you probably couldn't have stopped her.