Basic instructions

[luckykaa]

What to do when you see some guy lying on the street in the rain.

Step 1: Dither a bit and hope that someone else will deal with it
Step 2: Realise that everybody else has gone for step 1 and ended there so walk over to the guy and try to rouse him. 
It is possible that he will be roused.  If not then go to step 3
Step 3: Check he's still breathing.  Try and find a pulse.  Shake him gently. 
Step 4: Call an ambulance (The number is 112 works in most places I'm a traditionalist so I went with 999*) .  The nice lady (or gentleman) on the other end of the phone has some basic medical training and can tell you what to do.  
Step 5: Wait for the ambulance to arrive.  This isn't going to take too long.  Once they are there they can deal with the situation better than you.
END

In hindsight, I should probably have skipped step 1. But I'm only human.
No idea what I'd do in step 3 if there was no pulse/breathing. 
I really should get off my arse and learn some emergency first aid.  I need to be free when there's a course and to work out which course I want to do.  Given that I do LARP and Cons and things, an actual qualification might be useful.
There does seem to be this social convention that nobody else is doing anything so everyone else goes along with it.  Damn herd mentality.
I seem to feel this sense of guilt that I've breached some sort of social convention.
I was told by the 999 person to put him on his back.  This seemed odd.  Isn't the recovery position the right thing to do here?

I think most people assumed he was homeless and drunk or on drugs or something.  Thinking about it though, he could easily have been diabetic or something (although didn't seem to sweating, which I think is what you expect).  He hadn't been sick or anything.  His clothes weren't exactly pristine but nor were they rags.

*Alternatively try 0118 999 881 999 119 725 3 - we're not just the emergency service.  We're your emergency service.

Comments

[darkamber.livejournal.com]

Cudos to you for doing anything at all!
A lot of people wouldn't.

[cath-er-ine.livejournal.com]

Well done you hero :)

[invisigoth51.livejournal.com]

I do the following
Step 1: Does he look like a bum/drunk/homeless person/thug If yes go to step 2 if no step 3
Step 2: Cross the road and try not to wake him in case he stabs you or is sick
Step 3: Commence emergency first aid etc...

You should really think hard about step 2 - it is an actual and real danger and you could easily end up with a dirty needle stuck in your hand or something. It should be possible to make a reasonable guess about his bum-like statis from his apperance.

[ingaborg.livejournal.com]

I'm very glad you did what you did. My mum fell over and broke her arm in Cambridge. One guy stopped to help her up and then wandered off. So a lady of nearly 70 was left standing in the street with a badly broken arm and no assistance. In the end she continued her walk to her GP, where she had a routine appointment, and they helped her. But I was shocked that nobody helped her in the street - not even to call 999.

On the other hand, I did pass a bloke lying on the pavement on the road which leads into town from our house. However, he looked perfectly happy - he was smoking a fag. Why his trousers were around his ankles, I did not enquire. But I made the decision that he was conscious, not asking for help, not in distress, and not being a particular nuisance, so I left him alone. Right or wrong? Still not sure.

[tanisafan.livejournal.com]

Well done you! People's general mentality of 'he's probably a junkie' and 'someone else will deal with it' lead to shit like that person who was stabbed in NYC a while ago and bled to death on the pavement of a crowded street while everyone stepped over him.

Shit like that makes me sick. I've had to call the police or the ambulance for my alcoholic neighbor a lot of times, and yes, it's annoying to have to stay awake and give them a statement, but I don't really think there's any other choice, you know?