In February this year, members of West Midlands Ambulance Service responded to a 999 call in Stoke-on-Trent. When arriving to tend to the emergency call, they apparently blocked the driveway of a next door neighbour – understandable given the urgent nature of the situation.
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Upon leaving the home where the emergency call was made, the paramedics found a note on the wind screen from a furious woman about the fact her drive was blocked. Not only did the 26 year old woman leave this angry note, but she also reportedly verbally abused staff members during the incident.
A growing trend of abuse
‘People seem to have no respect for the work we’re doing or the fact we’re helping someone. We don’t block roads for the sake of it. We do it to try and save lives’, said Mike Duggan, operations manager at West Midlands. ‘We are seeing more and more abuse – this was not an isolated incident. But these people would want our help if it was one of their relatives’.
A huge wave of public support poured in for the paramedics. Less than 24 hours after the event occurred, the woman who left the note was arrested for public order offences. Hopefully this sends a message to those who believe that harassing those working hard to save lives is a good idea.
