r/nashville • u/vcrfuneral_ • 3d ago
Police officer conduct? Discussion
Hello,
I am not sure where to report this, or If I can even do something about it.
Last night there was a terribly bad accident and it happened right in front of us so I was the first person to dial 911.
Police eventually showed up and took care of the family in the first car, but the victim of the second car was severely injured as well. I told two different police officers who were in their vehicles blocking off traffic that there was a second victim severely injured and they didn't respond. There weren't enough ambulances. I didn't want to disturb the medical personnel or police actively involved. It took so long for someone to come over to check on the kid that the victims family had time to drive there and started freaking out and asking for someone to please go and help their sister because at this point she had been pulled into the parking lot and was seemingly going unconscious.
One officer starts screaming in her face arguing with her that she was going to get arrested for being disorderly, but it had been so long and nobody was even paying attention to her. I don't blame her for yelling for help and maybe she had so much adrenaline that she was freaking out, but can an officer get in her face, threaten to arrest her and yell at her for trying to advocate assistance for her sibling?
I gave my conact info to one of the girls as I witnessed everything and left but the police officer was still being a fucking asshole.
I'm probably in the wrong here but are they really allowed to treat us like that?
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u/NotDrEvil 3d ago
They are not going to render emergency medical aid, that's well beyond anything they are trained for. That's why we have EMTs and ambulances. What they should do is control the scene to keep people from wandering into traffic or incoming traffic from plowing into the already wrecked vehicles with victims still inside. Or, keep the victims where they are so they don't wander into traffic. Don't let the victims move and possibly hurt themselves further. Don't let the victims move so that when an ambulance does arrive, the officer can point and say they are over there... and they will be, because they haven't moved. Or been taken by family for help. Or done any number things.
I once showed up to a T bone collision. Patient 1 complaining of chest pain, other vehicle occupant said he was shook up but fine, still seated with no obvious injuries, seat belt on. While getting Patient 1 with chest pain loaded into ambulance, Patient 2s wife shows up and starts screaming about the car. Dude turns and plants both feet to stand up out of the car. He takes one step and his femur shoots out of his leg. That was fun.
My daughter was a passenger in the back seat of a car that was hit while turning by a car that was traveling 55mph. They had cut the roof off to extricate when I showed up and she had just regained consciousness. I was calm but another family member was yelling, not paying attention to surroundings and an officer absolutely put her in handcuffs and the back seat. Her pelvis was broken in 2 places, concussion and a small tear on her bladder. She's fine now.
When I would show up on scene I appreciated an officer who kept the scene under control and could point me to the victims. Even if they had to yell at someone. Family members are not rational when a loved one is hurt, I've seen it. It sucks when they're hurt and there's nothing you can do. You want help for them RIGHT NOW! But that's not how it works in reality. Control of a scene isn't always pretty or compassionate either. I would be more concerned about the officer letting that victim move out of the vehicle unless there were dangerous circumstances.