Depressing end of the day yesterday. I was going down the escalator at Metro Center and a man either fell off a ledge onto the escalator, or fell down the escalator really fast (as if he was running), and collapsed. This happened about 3 feet behind me. He jammed his neck against the metal sides and knocked his head. He was out cold. And we're talking about an older guy here, definitely coming from work (tie, briefcase, etc). I think he might have been feeling a heart attack or something coming on (and tried to run down to get help?). I do not know.
So he falls on top of several people who immediately know something is bad, and they are able to halt the escalator with him at the bottom, semi-curled and half-upside-down. No one wants to move him because several people saw his head really press against the wall of the escalator and given his age and the way he fell, it is definitely possible that he snapped his neck right there. I was asking a woman for her makeup compact so that we could put it under his nose to see if he was still breathing. But a really nice gentleman put his hand on the man's chest and could feel a gentle rise and fall. Duhhh. Here I am thinking I'm MacGyver, and all we needed to do was stop being busy and just watch for a moment. About 5 people called 911 while I got the station manager. Then time keeps going by, and there is no first responder team. I go up the escalator because I realize that no one is looking out to signal the ambulance outside. And from the 911 calls, the dispatcher was obviously confused as to which Metro entrance it was (what else could 14 and G sound like?). So then a fire truck comes roaring down the road - I go out into the middle of the road to flag it down, and it passes by me and goes to the entrance of the Metro stop about a block away. Unbelievable. I chased down the truck, told the guys who were getting off the truck and unpacking medical equipment that they were at the wrong spot and the guy who needs help is a block away and he might have really hurt his neck in addition to whatever happened that caused his collapse. I think I am speaking at about 1000 words a minute. OK, he says, we'll drive around.
Seven minutes later they show up. All they had to do was turn on the sirens and pull around 3 sides of a block. If this guy ends up a vegetable, it's their fault. I have a deep respect for paramedics and first responders, but that delay was unconsionable. Even one of them could have walked the 40 seconds to get to the gentleman and assess the situation. I am getting angry just thinking about it. It's like when I drive the 3 blocks to CVS instaed of walking, because it never occured to me to walk in the first place. Only, you know, someone's life depends on it.
Then they go down the now stopped escalator and begin to aid the man. But no one looked like they were in a rush. I guess though, these are trained people who know how to keep their cool. I am going to try and find out what happened to the man. Just sort of depressing because I'm sure this guy woke up yesterday and it was going to be just a normal day like every other. Maybe a hassle or two at work, but the weekend is almost here. He never saw this coming. But who ever does?