Man critical after 5-storey plunge

blunomore

blunomore

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Johannesburg - A man was seriously injured after he fell from a fifth-storey window in Sandton, Johannesburg early on Friday morning, paramedics said.

"The paramedics arrived to find him lying on the ground with witnesses explaining that the man's apartment had also been engulfed in flames," ER24 spokesperson Vanessa Jackson said.

After a fall from that height paramedics were shocked to find the 28-year-old man alive at 03:30, Jackson said.

"Paramedics placed him on life saving equipment and treated him for his injuries which included multiple broken bones, internal injuries and a severe head injury."

He was transported to the Charoltte Maxeke Academic Hospital where he remained in a critical condition, Jackson said.

Jackson said the reason why the man jumped or fell from the window would be investigated.
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I am curious why they would take him to Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital if the incident happened in Sandton ? The Morningside MediClinic would surely be closer ?
 
blunomore said:
I am curious why they would take him to Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital if the incident happened in Sandton ? The Morningside MediClinic would surely be closer ?
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Is the Charlotte Maxeke Acedemic Hospital not a government hospital? Perhaps he had no medical aid.
 
blunomore said:
I am curious why they would take him to Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital if the incident happened in Sandton ? The Morningside MediClinic would surely be closer ?
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Paramedics phone ahead to announce arrival...
The first question asked - Does he have medical aid?
 
eehellfire said:
Paramedics phone ahead to announce arrival...
The first question asked - Does he have medical aid?
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Well, I wonder how the (eye)witnesses would know whether some random stranger has medical aid, cos they seem to have been the only ones around. No mention of family or flatmates or anything like that.

I must presume that if the paramedics do not know and cannot establish if you do have medical aid, you get taken to a govt hospital. Scary thought !!!
 
blunomore said:
I am curious why they would take him to Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital if the incident happened in Sandton ? The Morningside MediClinic would surely be closer ?
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Some hospitals have better facilities to deal with certain types of trauma. You'd rather be taken to Bara if you were badly burnt, a rural hospital if you got chomped by a snake, etc.

But, yeah, I would have thought that any hospital should be able to deal with this type of injury. Maybe they were full, or the theatres were.
 
You should tattoo Discovery (or whatever) with your membership number on your forehead.
 
Picard said:
You should tattoo Discovery (or whatever) with your membership number on your forehead.
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Imagine changing between medical aid companies after that! I was thinking something like dog tags would make more sense.
 
blunomore said:
This is probably why some people are advocating the chip implanted under the skin. Will contain all your details.
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Or hospitals could go back to the humanitarian role they used to play instead of being run as money-hungry corporations.
 
AFAIK, a hospital is not allowed to turn anyone away if they are in a serious condition, with or without medical aid. They can only transport the victim to a public hospital when they are in a stable condition.

So, if I was that person and I survived, I would pursue why I wasn't taken to the nearest hospital and sue the living daylights out of them if - "unable to prove medical aid" - was the reason.
 
blunomore said:
Well, I wonder how the (eye)witnesses would know whether some random stranger has medical aid, cos they seem to have been the only ones around. No mention of family or flatmates or anything like that.

I must presume that if the paramedics do not know and cannot establish if you do have medical aid, you get taken to a govt hospital. Scary thought !!!
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Obviously............
 
Chunkyfeather said:
AFAIK, a hospital is not allowed to turn anyone away if they are in a serious condition, with or without medical aid. They can only transport the victim to a public hospital when they are in a stable condition.

So, if I was that person and I survived, I would pursue why I wasn't taken to the nearest hospital and sue the living daylights out of them if - "unable to prove medical aid" - was the reason.
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Yeah...good luck with that.
 
evilstebunny said:
Or hospitals could go back to the humanitarian role they used to play instead of being run as money-hungry corporations.
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The chip implant is a more plausible scenario than this, unfortunately.
 
Albereth said:
Some hospitals have better facilities to deal with certain types of trauma. You'd rather be taken to Bara if you were badly burnt, a rural hospital if you got chomped by a snake, etc.

But, yeah, I would have thought that any hospital should be able to deal with this type of injury. Maybe they were full, or the theatres were.
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I've heard that from doctors as well. Government hospitals deal with emergency trauma much better because they see much more of it.
 
evilstebunny said:
Or hospitals could go back to the humanitarian role they used to play instead of being run as money-hungry corporations.
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As far as I know, a private hospital is required to stabilize you if you are critical, and then send you on your way to a government hospital ;) You can't expect anyone with a sore foot to be able to walk into a private hospital, not pay for anything, and still have their levels of service and cleanliness. ;)
 
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