Medics can’t help if patient refuses – ER24
ER24 paramedics acted exactly according to the law when a moderately injured motorist refused treatment and verbally attacked them after a car crash shortly before midnight on 19 August.
“If a person refuses treatment, by law we are not allowed to force treatment on them, but we can advise them about what could happen as a result,” said Russel Meiring, an ER24 spokesperson, after a patient allegedly refused treatment after a car accident on Hendrik Potgieter Road.
ER24 paramedics acted exactly according to the law when a moderately injured motorist refused treatment and verbally attacked them after a car crash shortly before midnight on 19 August.
The vehicle rolled in the Little Falls area and according to the BCI Security officer who attended the scene of the crash and assessed the driver, he was convinced that the driver was intoxicated.
Also Read: Man under police watch ‘for swallowing a drug cache’ refuses a potty break for 47 days
“Our Incident Support Member went to assess the driver of the vehicle. It became clear that she was under the influence of alcohol,” said Gary Jordaan, BCI’s media liaison officer.
Upon arrival of ER24 paramedics, Gary said, “The woman was asked by the paramedics to go to the ambulance to be treated for her minor injuries which included some cuts and scrapes, [but] she became verbally abusive to them and our Incident Support Member and refused to be treated”.
He added that a short while later, some members of the driver’s family arrived and after removing her belongings from the vehicle, they drove her away, before the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) had arrived to administer an alcohol breath test.
The security officer said he was disgusted by the lawless behaviour of the driver and her family.
“We find this complete disregard for the law totally unacceptable. This driver could have caused an accident that could have taken the life of an innocent motorist,” Gary criticised.
“Our Incident Support Member made a statement to the police to be attached to the accident report so that the incident can be investigated further. One of the things he noted was that the people involved had defeated the ends of justice by removing someone who was clearly intoxicated from an accident scene,” he concluded.
Do you perhaps have more information pertaining to this story? Email us at northsider@caxton.co.za (remember to include your contact details) or phone us on 011 955 1130.
For free daily local news on the West Rand, also visit our sister newspaper websites
