My mom is on vacation in Paris with her boyfriend, Larry. A couple days ago, they decided to visit the Champs Elysee. They’d heard that there would be a protest there, but decided to go anyway. “How bad can it be?” Larry reportedly asked.
When the cops fired off the tear gas, a chunk of the protesters ran back down the street my Mom and Larry were on. Someone knocked Larry down. When my mom tried to help him to his feet, someone else stepped on her hand, causing some cuts and bruises, but apparently no real harm. Luckily, a local saw them in trouble and jumped in, getting them both back upright and then using his body to shield them from the rest of the mob. After, they found a pharmacy and bought some bandages and anti-septic for my mom’s hand. The clerk (?) knew some first aid, and offered to bandage my mom’s hand up.
This has been a tough trip on Larry for staying upright. A couple days before the riot, they were on the Metro when it closed on Larry’s foot and tripped him up. Again, a Parisian saw what was going on and jumped in, hauling the door open so he could get his foot out.
Anyway, apparently they’re both okay, and enjoyed the last two days of their trip to Paris. They’re on the plane home right now. Big thanks to the people of Paris who helped out a couple of American septuagenarians when they were in trouble.
And to the protesters who knocked them down, I hope you experience a lifetime of severe lactose intolerance.
Poor Mom and Larry! More poor Mom than poor Larry, though. I’m glad they weren’t seriously hurt, but maybe she shouldn’t listen to Larry the next time he says “how bad could it be?”
Holy Crap!
And people question why I hate public places, crowds, throngs, getting trampled and flying over big oceans.
Yeah, I’m never going anywhere, am I?
:)I hope their flight is safe and they arrive in good health.
Sorry to hear about their trouble; glad to hear they’re (mostly) okay.
My experiences in Paris were pretty much uniformly wonderful. Fantastic folks, the Parisians. Glad that was the way that Mom & Larry (mostly) experienced it.
Chemists evaluating and treating illnesses is definitely standard procedure in Europe. Chemists evaluating and treating wounds? This is the first time I’ve heard of that.
Honestly! That’s right up there with “what’s the worst that could happen?” or “it’s too quiet” or “trust me, I know what I’m doing.” Doesn’t he watch horror movies?
I’m glad they are OK and the folks in Paris were so kind and helpful. Except the protesters. On top of lactose intolerance they can have a lifetime of chigger bites too!
Someone told me a story where she decided it might be fun to attend a protest- in 1968. After the tear gas hit, she got disoriented, broke down, sat down someplace (!), and started crying. A cop saw her and asked if she was OK; she replied something like, “[Sniff] I can’t find my boyfriend! Waaah!” and kept on weeping. The bemused tool of violent state oppression said something to the effect that it really wasn’t the right place for a nice girl like her, and got her out of there.
It’s not “pharmacists”: it’s “people with first-aid training”. That’s why I said it’s not part of the medical system.
Vynil Turnip: Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Sweden, Scotland. Those are just “places where I personally know someone who received first aid from a stranger who didn’t work for a hospital, wasn’t part of an ambulance crew, or in any other way part of the medical system”.
France has Duty to Rescue (as do any other countries with a Civil Code). If you see someone in distress and you can assist them, you are required to do so. If all you can do is call for help, you’re supposed to do that; if you can do more, you’re supposed to do everything you can. Note that this is just an 18th-19th century re-codification of older laws with similar requirements, the principle wasn’t new.
No.
Trust me on this. I was born here and live here. Pharmacies would not, under any circumstances, offer to help you dress a wound. They will advice you on non prescription items, and inform you about prescription medicins.
