My father just died in his sleep. He had passed by the time the paramedics arrived.
They still did their best, which I am very grateful for, but they even an entire trash bag full of used instruments that were stuffed under the bed for some reason
I’m glad that I found it sooner over later but it’s mildly infuriating that they just discarded their medical waste under his bed.
(NSFW some blood)
I’ve been taking care of him for over 5 years and it’s made things a lot harder for me, seeing all of that all over.
First off I’m terribly sorry for your loss. While I am by no means a paramedic I took first aid classes from one and this very subject came up (what to do with used PPE and such after an incident). We were told to just leave it pending hazmat-trained folks responding for cleanup. At a patient’s home it’s left and frankly not their responsibility - the patient alone is.
Sucks but they will indeed leave stuff behind - I wish it had been a better outcome for your family but I assure you they meant no offense or harm.
I understand and I know that they were focused elsewhere, but the trash bag was stuffed far under the bed with everything spilling out…
I reached for what I was and was, as I couldn’t see, and my hand got covered in blood and other fluids.
They were here waiting on the medical examiner for over an hour, so they must have forgotten about it somehow.
Ugh that sucks. I can only guess that it was an oversight but you’re absolutely right to be bothered. As you suggest, likely a moment of “get this bag out of the way”. Still upsetting for sure.
While it was thankfully brief I also was part of end of life care for my Dad and despite the anguish I took great comfort from knowing his last hours were with loved ones nearby and in his own bed. I wish that the knowledge you were there and helped brings you solace in your grief. You were there when it mattered most. hug I wish you and your family peace.
Thank you very much. I really appreciate your kind words.
In this world, I only had my dad and grandmother. I took care of them both for years. My grandmother passed in February, and dad’s mind just imploded. She was more “smother” over a mother, so he was in the process to learn how to adult despite having severe paranoid schizophrenia
He was doing so well too, I taught him how to buy clothing and how to use uber.
He was for sure happy when he passed as I kept him reassured that he was safe and “the government doesn’t know where you are”
My condolences on your pop.
Regarding leaving behind biohazard… You’d be surprised that the vast majority of first responders aren’t trained for it and are liable if they try. Yes, it’s kinda crazy and varies heavily by state.
First responders of any kind aren’t trained for the cordiality or technical aspects of cleaning up biohazard scenes. It’s very common. They’re trained for patient care and that’s it. They leave messes behind. They won’t wash blood off your sidewalk. It’s like walking into a personal nightmare for most people. Trained EMTs and paramedics are supposed to keep their PPE bagged and taken out with them, but if things get hectic, which is why they’re there in the first place, stuff gets overlooked. Someone below already mentioned that it would’ve gotten shoved away to make room and it just gets forgot since it’s not visible anymore
The fact of the matter is that they’re there to triage and get them to the hospital, not tidy up after attempting to save someone’s life.
The situation is macabre but it’s a common one. A lot of people have felt that same weird surprise going back to where there loved one was to just find it a mess. There’s no laws about them needing to clean. It’s not the first time it’s been brought up though.
If you’re in the right state of mind you can call the nonemergency county line and ask if they have cleanup services for first responder scenes… the vast majority don’t though. Those that do usually take a day or more to get there.
9/10 times it’s family doing all of it.
I work pretty closely with just about every type of first responder in my line of work just to qualify this a bit… I’ve had to deal with this same issue in my personal life and professional. It’s the same just about everywhere from what I know.
https://www.dallasnews.com/news/2013/05/02/cleaning-up-crime-and-accident-scenes-a-grim-task/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499999/
https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1123029
EDIT: I did forget to say that those cleanup services are usually going to cost YOU out of pocket. Some states or counties subsidize them though…
Also minor grammar/clarifications.
OP, sorry. Resuscitation can be chaotic and there is a chance that the bag got pushed off to the side and then they missed it cleaning up.
That does not make it okay because it looks like their BVM is in the bag, which means that was placed their after the resuscitation. Your picture doesn’t show anything aside from the little bit of blood that isn’t just garbage, so don’t worry about how to get rid of it, just throw it in the trash. But again, sorry, I’ve never personally and I haven’t worked with anyone who would intentionally leave garbage on a scene after an attempted resuscitation, it’s a small detail that someone’s family shouldn’t have to think about in this kind of situation.
That’s good to know, thank you.
I had nightmares about this bag last night so I’ll be glad when it’s out of my life.
Happy to help. Seriously tho, just toss it all. Even that little bit of blood isn’t significant. But don’t let this bag bother you too much it’s nothing to do with your dad it’s just the packaging for the meds they used plus probably some saline. You said in another comment that they were waiting for the medical examiner, which if that’s true then it would be illegal for them to remove anything that they had in place for the attempted resuscitation.
That’s a really good point. Yeah, they are doing a full investigation because they have to in Washington state if a person passes away at home.
I’m not really a fan of talking to the police, but they didn’t really even talk to me. It’s such an obvious thing that he died in his sleep, I suppose.
I’m sorry about your dad.
I spent nearly the last 5 years of my life dedicated to taking care of my elderly father and my grandmother.
I don’t have anyone else to vent to, and my father was the last of my family.
So excuse me when I used a public forum to try to take my mind off of my world collapsing.
I have no stake in this thing, but I can say condolences and you’re doing good. I can imagine needing to get your mind off things. When I was dealing with a death, I didn’t want to be left alone in the same flat for 5 minutes.
I’ve dealt with paramedics a bunch of times and they always leave a mess behind. I can understand that since they have more urgent things to do (I only wonder about the biohazard rating of such trash), but combined with this situation, it can certainly leave a shitty feeling.
Thank you for your kind words.
Yeah, it’s like the last thing I needed in my life at that moment was to grab some bloody life-saving instruments.
To be safe, early today I made sure to call the local non-emergency line and let them know what they left behind.
Not to be a karen, but to double-check Washington state laws on trashing that sort of stuff.
Yeah, I’m having a bad day after and I needed to take my mind off of things for a while.
We all grieve in our own ways.
They meant the asshole commenter was having a mental breakdown. I’m sorry they said that, it’s ridiculous.
You’re allowed to grieve or distract yourself in any way you want. (I would discourage anything self destructive obviously)
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with going online. I’m incredibly sorry for your loss, and I am sending many good thoughts your way. ♡
Lmao I just checked and you’re right. Feels surreal, like that video of that girl whose mum comes in while she’s singing apple bottom jeans, yells at her for sleeping with a teacher, and leaves, just for the girl to continue singing through her tears.
Geesus fuck people… What else you want to mandate? How long after family death are you allowed to go online? A day? A week? How long until you’re allowed to watch a movie? I’d bet you’re one of those people who accuses everyone of being nazis. Next time use your hands to wank rather than be a wanker.
