Ambulance Accidents Today / Cape Town

medicnick83

medicnick83

Paramedic
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CBD, Cape Town
Hi all,

There was 2 ambulances involved in accidents today in Cape Town.

I am not allowed to give out details but I will say that 2 people (1 from each accident) are in serious conditions.
Though I do not know the 1 from the other ambulance, I do know 1 of them and he is a very dear friend and I am praying bloody hard (they) will be ok.

There is so much I want to say here, but I can't.

What I do what to say is that I need everyone to please;

1. Please don't blare your music, if you can't hear sirens from ambulances then you don't know they coming and what happens? You "SUDDENLY" see it and then you panic!
2. Keep your eyes on the road!
3. Check your mirrors (so you can see incoming ambulances!)
4. Do not take chances by jumping robots etc.

Please guys, please!
 
So what news is being reported here dude?

Sad to hear but i am not sure what the story is. Perhaps you will be able to give us more details and if not maybe this should be an off topic thread.
 
No, it's a current affairs topic because it's a current issue that people do not do what I mentioned above!
If "people" (you, me, your cousin, your friends etc) do the above basic points mentioned then there wouldn't be 6 people in hospital at the moment.
 
Bull****.

Any emergency vehicle - should not put on their sirens and assume they can skip every stop street - red light - pass on left etc.

The cars should make way for them - but they should still stop at every intersection to make sure there isn't someone who is deaf / playing loud music - etc etc etc etc
 
requiem said:
Bull****.

Any emergency vehicle - should not put on their sirens and assume they can skip every stop street - red light - pass on left etc.

The cars should make way for them - but they should still stop at every intersection to make sure there isn't someone who is deaf / playing loud music - etc etc etc etc
Click to expand...

I don't think that was Gdiza's point.

Emergency services do their best in difficult circumstances.

Getting angry with them benefits nobody.

All Gdiza was asking was to try to work with them, and be careful. That is all.

I don't think its too much to ask.

Have a good evening,
Tassidar
 
Fair enough Tassidar. I was simply pointing out that i've far too often seen, in what I assume "official emergency" vehicles would be the correct description - blatantly ignore traffic laws - and do some incredibly stupid things.

I took exception to the implication that if people didn't play their music loud - and were more aware - i.e. drivers of non emergency vehicles - then the people would not be injured. It could very well have been the fault of the ambulance driver.
 
requiem said:
Bull****.

Any emergency vehicle - should not put on their sirens and assume they can skip every stop street - red light - pass on left etc.

The cars should make way for them - but they should still stop at every intersection to make sure there isn't someone who is deaf / playing loud music - etc etc etc etc
Click to expand...

*sigh*

Gdiza, my thoughts go out to those who were injured. I wish them a speedy recovery.
 
Very depressing, hope they recover. If driver every driver followed those instructions their would actually be less accidents on the road.
 
requiem said:
Bull****.

Any emergency vehicle - should not put on their sirens and assume they can skip every stop street - red light - pass on left etc.

The cars should make way for them - but they should still stop at every intersection to make sure there isn't someone who is deaf / playing loud music - etc etc etc etc
Click to expand...

Show some appreciation for the emergency services - guaranteed they are better drivers than most. Nearly all emergency vehicles I see slow down and are cautious at intersections. They all have done some sort of advanced driving course.

For you to call bull***t is just pathetic.
 
genetic said:
Show some appreciation for the emergency services - guaranteed they are better drivers than most. Nearly all emergency vehicles I see slow down and are cautious at intersections. They all have done some sort of advanced driving course.

For you to call bull***t is just pathetic.
Click to expand...

No it's not, it is his opinion. Considering we have no info as to what happened we are all assuming it was not their fault. Show me the police report or lay out how the accidents went down. All i hear is stupid normal drivers caused the accidents with zero facts.
 
There are plenty of idiots out there who have no respect for responding emergency vehicle the worst culprits tend to be drivers of expensive cars and four by fours.

Most people do pull to the side where possible to allow emergency vehicles through but I have seen idiots who see this as a chance to get ahead of the traffic.

While lights and sirens are not some sort of magic wand that automatically clears and stops traffic, it is not a licenses to drive recklessly, if that happens you can be prosecuted.

However it does automatically give emergency vehicles right of way and you can be fined for impeding such vehicles as one idiot found out after he blocked our vehicle, he was thought he was quite funny. It wasn’t so funny when we pitched up at his door later that day and issued him a hefty fine.

So when you see an emergency vehicle responding rather pull to the side and let them past
 
I can't imagine not getting out of the way. It's an emergency FFS, block an emergency vehicle, and you could literally have someone's death on your hands. Sheesh, some people are such idiots.
 
requiem said:
Bull****.

Any emergency vehicle - should not put on their sirens and assume they can skip every stop street - red light - pass on left etc.

The cars should make way for them - but they should still stop at every intersection to make sure there isn't someone who is deaf / playing loud music - etc etc etc etc
Click to expand...

requiem, please do us all a favor and wear a t-shirt that states: "Ambulances should drive slowly".

Even better, tattoo it to your chest, so that one day if you are in an accident and your life depends on the precious few minutes that you have to get to a hospital, the ambulance knows that it should drive slowly. :wtf:
 
On two occasions last week, both on the Southern Freeway coming in to Durban, I was passed by ambulances probably doing in excess of 130/140, both in dense traffic. I understand the need to get to a point as quickly as possible, but I am concerned that in both cases, these ambulances were going way beyond a responsible speed. In both cases I eventually caught up with them, both were going to taxi accidents, and in the first instance there were no injuries, and in the second, one guy was hurt.

I will always get out of the way of an emergency vehicle, but simply because there are so many retards driving out there today, I honestly think that both of these drivers were putting both their lives and those of others in danger, by actually driving at speeds that were many times greater than were acceptable at the time.
 
Species8472 said:
requiem, please do us all a favor and wear a t-shirt that states: "Ambulances should drive slowly".

Even better, tattoo it to your chest, so that one day if you are in an accident and your life depends on the precious few minutes that you have to get to a hospital, the ambulance knows that it should drive slowly. :wtf:
Click to expand...

Where did I say that ambulances should drive slowly?

Where did I say that cars should not make way?

What I stated was - the implication that the fault is automatically the driver of the non - emergency vehicle for "blasting his/her music" and then "suddenly panicking" is bull****.

I have seen emergency vehicles use their sirens and lights to get through rush hour traffic only to pull into the drive through at McDonalds. As well as giving lifts to buddies. My calling bull**** was to simply to say there is more to the story - and I don't think it is fair to lay the blame that if the normal drivers did all the above then there would not be 6 people seriously injured at present.
 
Last edited:
requiem said:
Bull****.
Any emergency vehicle - should not put on their sirens and assume they can skip every stop street - red light - pass on left etc.
The cars should make way for them - but they should still stop at every intersection to make sure there isn't someone who is deaf / playing loud music - etc etc etc etc
Click to expand...

Here you have the problem with this stupid country. Idiots who think they own the road and everyone else should get out of their way.
One day you will be in an accident and then you will be crying for the Ambulance to get to you as fast as possible.
Nobody is suggesting that the Emergency Response Teams drive recklessly, they are asking for the public to work in co-operation with them.
Your post is exactly the kind of stupid public response that costs people their lives.
Think of a nice insult and apply that to yourself from me for free.
 
Garyvdh said:
Here you have the problem with this stupid country. Idiots who think they own the road and everyone else should get out of their way.
One day you will be in an accident and then you will be crying for the Ambulance to get to you as fast as possible.
Nobody is suggesting that the Emergency Response Teams drive recklessly, they are asking for the public to work in co-operation with them.
Your post is exactly the kind of stupid public response that costs people their lives.
Think of a nice insult and apply that to yourself from me for free.
Click to expand...

Go read the rest of my posts Garyvdh. Take the blinkers off. Look at what I am actually saying. Where did I say people own the roads and everyone should get out of their way?

Read the entire thread - just maybe?
 
Garyvdh said:
Here you have the problem with this stupid country. Idiots who think they own the road and everyone else should get out of their way.
One day you will be in an accident and then you will be crying for the Ambulance to get to you as fast as possible.
Nobody is suggesting that the Emergency Response Teams drive recklessly, they are asking for the public to work in co-operation with them.
Your post is exactly the kind of stupid public response that costs people their lives.
Think of a nice insult and apply that to yourself from me for free.
Click to expand...

So ambulances can drive as fast as they like and not worry about red lights? stop streets etc? I would rather the ambulance makes sure it gets to me and gets me to hospital safely. No point rushing into another accident and i end up dead.
 
I stand by what I said. If you are alert and paying attention you will hear the ambulance coming long before you see it, giving you plenty of time to move out of the way.
There is no time or need for you to investigate and decide if it is serious enough to warrant you moving out of the way. Just give them the benefit of the doubt and get out of their way. It is really not that hard and doesn't need to be debated or equivocted upon. Just get out of the way, and put your bruised little ego back into it's box. You do not own the road.
 
killadoob said:
So ambulances can drive as fast as they like and not worry about red lights? stop streets etc? I would rather the ambulance makes sure it gets to me and gets me to hospital safely. No point rushing into another accident and i end up dead.
Click to expand...

Read what Gary said..
Nobody is suggesting that the Emergency Response Teams drive recklessly, they are asking for the public to work in co-operation with them.
Click to expand...
 
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