Members of West Midlands Ambulance Service responded to a 999 call one weekend in Stoke-on-Trent, as they so frequently do. When arriving to tend to the emergency call, they apparently blocked the driveway of a next door neighbour – understandable given the 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. 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.'
Public opinion has been pouring in whole-heartedlyy in favour of the paramedics. In just 24 hours after the event occurred, the woman was arrested for public order offences. Hopefully this sends a message to those who believe that harassing those looking to save lives is a good idea.
