# How plausible is this Facebook story about Wal-Mart employees driving a sick person home? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 6, 2019, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-plausible-is-this-facebook-story-about-wal-mart-employees-driving-a-sick-person-home/844458 "2019-12-06T05:46:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2019, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-plausible-is-this-facebook-story-about-wal-mart-employees-driving-a-sick-person-home/844458/21 "2019-12-06T15:21:50Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > so the ambulance drops her the baby and her shopping off at home. Never happen in the US, per protocols (for almost if not everywhere) either a refusal or a trip to the hospital. > [@Senegoid](#): > > Someone having a seizure needs to get an ambulance called, with EMT’s who can monitor her condition en route and maybe provide some on-the-spot medical assistance as needed. Someone with a known seizure disorder, especially if they haven’t taken their meds, doesn’t really need to go to the hospital to get a very expensive lecture to take their meds. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2019, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-plausible-is-this-facebook-story-about-wal-mart-employees-driving-a-sick-person-home/844458/22 "2019-12-06T15:31:51Z")
> [@Hermitian](#): > > If it is on Facebook, it has to be true. Exactly–thanks to Facebook’s truthiness, we were able to select the most highly qualified president we now have. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2019, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-plausible-is-this-facebook-story-about-wal-mart-employees-driving-a-sick-person-home/844458/23 "2019-12-06T16:04:59Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > Exactly–thanks to Facebook’s truthiness, we were able to select the most highly qualified president we now have. **Moderator Note** Let’s keep political jabs out of General Questions. No warning issued, but don’t do this again. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2019, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-plausible-is-this-facebook-story-about-wal-mart-employees-driving-a-sick-person-home/844458/24 "2019-12-06T16:56:28Z")
> [@Asuka](#): > > Uber isn’t taking any rides Unless this is in some distant suburb this is where you lose me. We have ongoing problems with drivers taking minors, babies with no carseats, more people than they have seatbelts, etc. Uber drivers are on a whole fairly mercenary creatures and are less concerned with the rules than the paycheck. Its far more likely it was surging to the point they wouldnt/couldnt pay for such a high demand time. ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2019, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-plausible-is-this-facebook-story-about-wal-mart-employees-driving-a-sick-person-home/844458/25 "2019-12-07T01:09:47Z")
> [@kayT](#): > > Would you all believe this story more if it was Nordstrom’s or Macy’s? I suspect more of you would believe it. I mean, I know Walmart is supposed to be Satan and all the employees are either half-wits or assholes, but really, this has not been my experience with Walmart, and I have shopped there extensively in three different states. > [@Bear\_Nenno](#): > > Sure, Wal-Mart is evil, but I don’t think you’ll find many Dopers shopping at Nordstrom’s or praising Macy’s. I think the typical popular store for a Doper would be like a Dollar Store, but not one of the name brand big-box stores. It has to be a mom and pop dollar store that also sells hard to find books. In the hygiene aisle is crystal deodorant, vinegar, and twelve varieties of Patchouli Oil. Well, if that’s the typical Doper shopping habits I am definitely not typical. I pretty much shop everywhere, from Macy’s to Walmart to Big Lots. What makes you think “typical” Dopers shop as you describe? ---
**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2019, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-plausible-is-this-facebook-story-about-wal-mart-employees-driving-a-sick-person-home/844458/26 "2019-12-07T13:41:08Z")
> [@drachillix](#): > > Unless this is in some distant suburb this is where you lose me. We have ongoing problems with drivers taking minors, babies with no carseats, more people than they have seatbelts, etc. Uber drivers are on a whole fairly mercenary creatures and are less concerned with the rules than the paycheck. Its far more likely it was surging to the point they wouldnt/couldnt pay for such a high demand time. I have no trouble believing it could happen in a rural area; [ride-sharing has not really caught on yet in rural areas:](https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/1/11/18179036/uber-lyft-rural-areas-subscription-model) > [@](#): > > On a Wednesday night in New York’s Finger Lakes region, few cars appeared on the map. And in Corning, New York, the closest Lyft ride was 74 miles away and showed no estimated time of pickup. > > … > > Uber message boards frequently discuss how small town driving is much less lucrative. One driver in Davis, California, wrote that she earned $18 for more than two hours of work. So not only is expanding to rural areas fiscally precarious for Uber and Lyft, it also may not reap much reward for drivers. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2019, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-plausible-is-this-facebook-story-about-wal-mart-employees-driving-a-sick-person-home/844458/27 "2019-12-07T14:45:44Z")
I’ve had people have seizures as well as other medical emergencies in my store. We call 911, I’m not sure why Walmart wouldn’t have done that. Unless the hospital is right down the road or they’re way out in the sticks, I’d imagine this would be faster, and safer, for the EMTs to handle. Plus, do you really want someone seizing in the car while you’re driving. In any case, I’d say the story is believable, but only because it’s not a story that they shared from another page and another page and another page, where you can’t actually find any provable details about it and it’s likely they’re just doing it for the likes. As far as worry about insurance, getting into an accident and all that, I doubt they used this, but there is a way around it. In situations like this, a way to deal with it is to have them punch out and do whatever they’re doing, when they get back safely you can adjust their time sheet. Someone I know is a maintenance supervisor and a large place. When his employees go to trade shows, he’ll pay them, but also make sure they’re punched out while they’re actually gone. That helps to relieve his employer of any liability should something happen. One thing that he’s always concerned about is that they might drink at the show and get into an accident on the way back. ---
**Author:** ![Dahu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dahu/32/3416_2.png) [@Dahu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dahu)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2019, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-plausible-is-this-facebook-story-about-wal-mart-employees-driving-a-sick-person-home/844458/28 "2019-12-07T21:07:19Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > I was thinking about what would happen over here: > > A pregnant single mother with baby collapses in a big supermarket… > > Supervisor sees the incident on CCTV and qualified first-aider is summoned; meanwhile, concerned citizens are calming the baby and (probably) filming the incident with their phones - after dialling 999 for an ambulance of course. > > At least one, possibly two DCAs (double-crewed ambulances) turn up within five minutes, check the woman over and wheel her out of the store in a chair. > > In the ambulance, they stick heart monitor pads all over her and plug her into the machine, while one of the crew looks after the baby. > > They want to take her to hospital, but she says she is fine (she doesn’t want to spend the next two or three hours waiting around in A&E, only to be pronounced okay and sent on her way) so the ambulance drops her the baby and her shopping off at home. > > The staff in the store who were involved, spend the next hour filling in reports. In my experience you’d be lucky if an ambulance turned up within 5 minutes. We had a lady with a suspected heart attack at my workplace last week, the ambulance took 2 hours. Dislocated kneecap a few months ago - again 2 hours. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2019, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-plausible-is-this-facebook-story-about-wal-mart-employees-driving-a-sick-person-home/844458/29 "2019-12-07T21:22:31Z")
> [@Dahu](#): > > In my experience you’d be lucky if an ambulance turned up within 5 minutes. We had a lady with a suspected heart attack at my workplace last week, the ambulance took 2 hours. Dislocated kneecap a few months ago - again 2 hours. That’s very dependent on where you are and what’s going on at the time. In my city, a call to police/fire/ems will have someone there within a few minutes. A few years back, an older man collapsed in my parking lot. When I saw him on the ground I went out to see what was going on. A bystander was already on her phone with a private ambulance company (no idea why she called them instead of 911). The guy appeared to be having a stroke right in front of our eyes. After about 10 minutes, and still not even able to here the sirens in the distance, I called 911. The local EMTs showed up with a fire truck and a few minutes later an ambulance. They did their assessment, got him on a stretcher, loaded up and headed out to the hospital. A few little white later the private ambulance finally showed up. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2019, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-plausible-is-this-facebook-story-about-wal-mart-employees-driving-a-sick-person-home/844458/30 "2019-12-08T14:05:14Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > I’ve had people have seizures as well as other medical emergencies in my store. . . . It all started around the time we installed the strobe lights.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2019, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-plausible-is-this-facebook-story-about-wal-mart-employees-driving-a-sick-person-home/844458/31 "2019-12-08T15:06:41Z")
> [@Dahu](#): > > In my experience you’d be lucky if an ambulance turned up within 5 minutes. We had a lady with a suspected heart attack at my workplace last week, the ambulance took 2 hours. Dislocated kneecap a few months ago - again 2 hours. Where do you live? I’ve called 911 for medical help five times, twice at home twice at the office once in a tennis court (opponent has anaphylactic shock from bee/wasp sting). Never took more than ten minutes. This includes suburban office park, suburban residential, suburban school, downtown commercial and city residential locations. In Massachusetts, Georgia and Kansas. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2019, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-plausible-is-this-facebook-story-about-wal-mart-employees-driving-a-sick-person-home/844458/32 "2019-12-08T15:38:15Z")
If it regularly takes 2 hours for EMTs to arrive and it wasn’t a fluke or there wasn’t some good reason for it, that seems like something the community needs to push the local government about. Cities regularly have contracts with neighboring cities for fire/police/EMT mutual aid for just this reason. If you call 911 and they know all their EMTs are out on call, they’ll request someone from the next closest department send help. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2019, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-plausible-is-this-facebook-story-about-wal-mart-employees-driving-a-sick-person-home/844458/33 "2019-12-08T17:44:42Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > I’ve had people have seizures as well as other medical emergencies in my store. We call 911, I’m not sure why Walmart wouldn’t have done that… I can believe there are circumstances where 911 might not be the best option. If you are taken in an ambulance around my neighborhood, you will receive a bill for over $1000 dollars – more if you need medical assistance during the ride. If I was in a position to give someone a ride to the hospital (Wal-Mart is 10 blocks away from the nearest hospital, 3 blocks from the nearest emergency room here), I would gladly volunteer to do it at no cost, and if I was already at Wal-Mart, I guarantee that I could make the trip before the ambulance showed up at the front door; probably before the ambulance drivers woke up and hopped into their vehicle. ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-plausible-is-this-facebook-story-about-wal-mart-employees-driving-a-sick-person-home/844458/34 "2019-12-09T01:57:11Z")
Can any ex-Walmart employees here tell us of the firm’s emergency policies? I’ve seen emergency action books prominently displayed in other chain stores. I’d be astonished if Wally’s has no corporate-wide standards. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-plausible-is-this-facebook-story-about-wal-mart-employees-driving-a-sick-person-home/844458/35 "2019-12-09T04:05:29Z")
Recent posts in this thread are asking why an ambulance (private or 911) might take so long. Let’s recall that OP describes an incident that happened on Black Friday. The heavy traffic and traffic jams on that day, due to holiday travelers plus a bazillion bargain-hunting shoppers can make it difficult for any emergency responders to get where they’re going. This, in fact, was apparently the original reason why Black Friday was so named. The other common story is that Black Friday was so named because it was the day that many retailers first turned a profit in the year. But that story was a later invention. Cites: Just google Why is Black Friday Called Black Friday, and pick any of the dozens of cites that you will see. ---
**Author:** ![Dahu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dahu/32/3416_2.png) [@Dahu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dahu)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-plausible-is-this-facebook-story-about-wal-mart-employees-driving-a-sick-person-home/844458/36 "2019-12-09T06:57:01Z")
> [@Mighty\_Mouse](#): > > Where do you live? > > I’ve called 911 for medical help five times, twice at home twice at the office once in a tennis court (opponent has anaphylactic shock from bee/wasp sting). Never took more than ten minutes. This includes suburban office park, suburban residential, suburban school, downtown commercial and city residential locations. In Massachusetts, Georgia and Kansas. Big city in northern England. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-plausible-is-this-facebook-story-about-wal-mart-employees-driving-a-sick-person-home/844458/37 "2019-12-09T07:58:44Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > If it regularly takes 2 hours for EMTs to arrive and it wasn’t a fluke or there wasn’t some good reason for it, that seems like something the community needs to push the local government about. Cities regularly have contracts with neighboring cities for fire/police/EMT mutual aid for just this reason. If you call 911 and they know all their EMTs are out on call, they’ll request someone from the next closest department send help. Two hours is definitely too long. That said, I would expect them to prioritize calls. Someone breaking a bone, while bad and incredibly painful, is not generally a life-threatening emergency. Someone with a stroke is. I could see times being slower for the former than the latter, simply because other emergencies were dealt with first. It definitely would not be that weird to wait hours in the emergency room for things that aren’t life threatening. ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-plausible-is-this-facebook-story-about-wal-mart-employees-driving-a-sick-person-home/844458/38 "2019-12-09T09:25:39Z")
I don’t know if it _did_ happen, but it certainly _could have_ happened, depending on location. Suppose after the seizure, the woman says, “I’m OK. Oh, God, _please_ don’t call an ambulance. I can’t afford it, and really, I’ll be OK. I have my seizure med in my purse and will take one now.” And she does. And suppose one of the WalMart workers knew the woman and was about to get off work anyway. Calling an ambulance the woman couldn’t afford and didn’t need would probably be the wise corporate CYA policy and to heck with the woman’s ability to pay. That’s her problem. Glad kindness won out and that the woman is OK. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-plausible-is-this-facebook-story-about-wal-mart-employees-driving-a-sick-person-home/844458/39 "2019-12-09T13:10:34Z")
> [@nelliebly](#): > > Calling an ambulance the woman couldn’t afford and didn’t need would probably be the wise corporate CYA policy and to heck with the woman’s ability to pay. That’s her problem. Glad kindness won out and that the woman is OK. Just a reminder, if someone calls an ambulance for you and you’re conscious when the ambulance arrives, you are under no obligation to accept the ministrations offered and will not be charged if you decline. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-plausible-is-this-facebook-story-about-wal-mart-employees-driving-a-sick-person-home/844458/40 "2019-12-09T13:43:26Z")
> [@Dahu](#): > > Big city in northern England. Then I can understand why an ambulance would take more than 2 hours to arrive if you call 911 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-plausible-is-this-facebook-story-about-wal-mart-employees-driving-a-sick-person-home/844458.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-plausible-is-this-facebook-story-about-wal-mart-employees-driving-a-sick-person-home/844458.md?page=3)