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Comment by nkurz | Hacker News Reader

All of this is some sort of thinly veiled attack on our public servants and what seems to be public government infrastructure in general.

Why would you think he's kidding? I don't see a veiled attack: I see desperation. He (and others in this thread) believe that you are putting yourself into greater risk by calling 911 than by solving the situation any other way you can.

I don't share their opinion, but I would think deeply before dismissing the sincerely expressed belief of those who feel the emergency response system in the US so broken that you are better of trying to make your own way to medical care rather than taking a chance on calling 911.

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Again, that is terrible advice.

Literally all professional literature on the subject suggests the following:

Remain calm, be aware of your surroundings, and closely evaluate the scene to protect yourself and others from further injury.

Do not move a critically injured person unless instructed by emergency medical professionals.

Do not try to drive someone who is critically ill or injured to a hospital unless there is no way to summon emergency help.

Call 911 or ask someone else to call: - If you think there is a medical emergency, - If the crisis could get worse left untreated or not treated properly.

Listen carefully to the 911 dispatcher's questions. Answer them calmly and quickly.

Remain on the line until the dispatcher tells you it's okay to hang up.

Ask someone to wait outside to meet emergency personnel if it is safe to do so.

Paramedics may want to know a brief summary of the circumstances that caused the emergency. Remain calm and cooperative as they gather information.

You apparently missed the part where he did all of that, and then ended up naked in solitary for 12 hours.

He did all of that except for the part where once the emergency services arrive, get out of the way. Don't let someone bleed out in a cab just because you're too proud to go away once the cops tell you to; they might not have the right, but you can avoid the naked solitary.

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