# The ethics of my accident **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 26, 2011, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ethics-of-my-accident/594237 "2011-08-26T22:23:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [August 26, 2011, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ethics-of-my-accident/594237/21 "2011-08-26T23:31:48Z")
> [@jamiemcgarry](#): > > Perhaps none. Like I said, they have considered themselves community leaders in this area for decades. Technically, they may not be violating laws but they are violating the care they supposedly have for those with different needs. Under their current operating standards, at HHFC, which is a place which _supposedly_ caters to the physical and medical needs of the disabled, a disabled individual is not able to obtain a proper or adequate physical fitness regimen. And this is due to nothing more than the management’s unwillingness to furnish the establishment with a modest amount of handicap-accessible equipment. Then way are you writing to the DOJ? What you need to do is set up a meeting with the Board of Directors and try to get them to purchase the equipment you want. Honestly, it might have been as simple as an email and few phone calls. The DOJ has _nothing_ to do with this. One of the other links got deleted so I won’t link to their site again, but if you go to the main page, click on ‘foundation’ then on Board Of Directors, the Chairman has his email listed right there. That’s who you need to email, not the DOJ. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ethics-of-my-accident/594237/22 "2011-08-26T23:32:36Z")
Why do you want to be a member of a gym where the employees undoubtedly despise you and make fun of you every single time you leave? Why do you think it’s okay to make yourself a walking rolling liability by using an exercise machine in a manner inconsistent with its labeling? Why do you think it’s ethical to block in someone’s car for wrongfully parking in a handicapped spot? If he had found out his family member was having a stroke and he needed to get out of there in a hurry, would you have moved? If he was late to work and would have been fired because of your jackassed stunt, would you have moved? Why did this need its own thread? All great questions doomed to go unanswered, I fear. Oh and as I recall from a prior thread, the doctor admitted to accidentally leaving a clamp on for too long, which was directly responsible for his paralysis. In a nutshell. And someone somewhere agreed with him, netting him the settlement. ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ethics-of-my-accident/594237/23 "2011-08-26T23:37:13Z")
The doctor saved your life, and you sued him. Morally abhorrent. The gym you used to go to until you were banned for being an unbearable pain to other users is one that provides great service to handicapped people in the area, and you as a self-proclaimed activist for the handicapped are threatening them with legal action, despite the fact that they attempted to act to ensure you exercised safely there. Also reprehensible. That you claim there is any other reason for your disability than your own idiocy in driving drunk is the worst of all. If you had any actual concern for others, you would be spending every waking moment telling people of the dangers of driving drunk, not attempting to gain financially at the expense of those who have helped you recover from the consequences of your own stupidity. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ethics-of-my-accident/594237/24 "2011-08-26T23:39:56Z")
> [@jamiemcgarry](#): > > Technically, they may not be violating laws but There are no buts. Why the fuck are you suing them? ---
**Author:** ![Bri2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/48db29/32.png) [@Bri2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bri2k)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ethics-of-my-accident/594237/25 "2011-08-26T23:40:52Z")
I want to thank you, Jamie. Your threads lead to no end of entertainment. As to your question, if I was drinking and wrecked my car, I’d probably be happy to be alive afterwards. Lawsuits would be the furthest thing from my mind. If you care to go into detail about the supposed medical malpractice and back that up with some facts, you might get some of the agreement you’re seeking. Bri2k P.S. Your deal with the HHFC is wrong, just wrong. You should be ashamed of yourself wasting their time and money as well as that of the DOJ. The law you claim they’re breaking doesn’t even go into effect for _over another six months_. After March, you might have a case. This would be like the IRS trying to penalize me for my 2011 tax return which won’t be filed until April. ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ethics-of-my-accident/594237/26 "2011-08-26T23:41:49Z")
For a guy who claims to sit around smoking (medical) reefer all day long, day in day out, all on the government’s dime no less, you sure have an entitlement-minded attitude about your self imposed situation… By the way, how often are you actively toking up behind the wheel as you cruise around town looking for people to confront about their shocking lack of empathy for the differently-abled? ---
**Author:** ![treis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ethics-of-my-accident/594237/27 "2011-08-26T23:42:04Z")
> [@jamiemcgarry](#): > > [Redirect Notice](http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCAQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FCardiopulmonary_bypass&ei=uCtYTr6VIqfj0QGYo_jKBg&usg=AFQjCNGbfcPOJXCAcq54hNaNTiMeUNmM7A) > > The doctor didn’t do this And do you have a cite saying that this is the accepted standard of care? ---
**Author:** ![miss\_elizabeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@miss\_elizabeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/miss_elizabeth)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ethics-of-my-accident/594237/28 "2011-08-26T23:50:05Z")
I don’t care why you are laying on an operating table; I don’t care if you were going on a mass murdering spree involving puppies, kittens, and babies and the hammer bounced off a particularly thick puppy skull and caused your aorta to rupture; _if the doctor was negligent in his care you deserve to be compensated_. The end. Doctors do not get to decide how “well” they will treat you based on whether they agree with your life choices. That’s it. The doctor in your case fucked up (and a jury agreed with that) and you were compensated. I don’t think there is any ethical problem at all with that. The rest of the story is slightly more complicated, but I would say that you’ve certainly paid for your mistakes. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ethics-of-my-accident/594237/29 "2011-08-26T23:51:11Z")
> [@jamiemcgarry](#): > > Perhaps none. No “perhaps” about it. If it’s not in place by 2012, you’ll have a point. As of right now, you got nothin’. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ethics-of-my-accident/594237/30 "2011-08-26T23:53:23Z")
> [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](#): > > For a guy who claims to sit around smoking (medical) reefer all day long, day in day out, all on the government’s dime no less, you sure have an entitlement-minded attitude about your self imposed situation… Wait, really? Awesome. In which thread did he say this? Gotta see it! ---
**Author:** ![lavenderviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/cdc98d/32.png) [@lavenderviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lavenderviolet)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ethics-of-my-accident/594237/31 "2011-08-26T23:54:19Z")
> [@miss\_elizabeth](#): > > I don’t care why you are laying on an operating table; I don’t care if you were going on a mass murdering spree involving puppies, kittens, and babies and the hammer bounced off a particularly thick puppy skull and caused your aorta to rupture; _if the doctor was negligent in his care you deserve to be compensated_. The end. Doctors do not get to decide how “well” they will treat you based on whether they agree with your life choices. That’s it. As a doctor myself, I agree with this. I can’t say if the doctor did indeed commit malpractice, but if there WAS malpractice, it doesn’t matter how Jamie wound up in the accident. I’ve had to take care of convicts, pedophiles, drug addicts, abusers, etc. I don’t treat them any differently. It’s not my role to punish them. ---
**Author:** ![Lancia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lancia/32/17174_2.png) [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ethics-of-my-accident/594237/32 "2011-08-27T00:02:12Z")
I have a couple of questions for Jamie: What do you do for a living? And have you ever considered becoming a public advocate for the disabled? You admit that having a couple of beers in your system could have contributed to your accident. Why not use this experience to educate kids about drinking and driving? Doesn’t matter if you were shitfaced or just barely buzzed, doesn’t matter that your paraplegia is from a Dr’s screwup – you can present yourself in such a way that you can make a difference in the lives of a lot of teenagers. Have you considered making a career out of being an advocate? Or perhaps an educator? ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ethics-of-my-accident/594237/33 "2011-08-27T00:03:53Z")
> [@treis](#): > > And do you have a cite saying that this is the accepted standard of care? Isn’t the outcome of my case an answer to that question? ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ethics-of-my-accident/594237/34 "2011-08-27T00:04:58Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Wait, really? Awesome. In which thread did he say this? Gotta see it! I actually haven’t read too many of his self-pity party diatribes since shortly after he joined (I saw him as a one-trick pony fairly quickly) so it had to be from a couple of months back… ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ethics-of-my-accident/594237/35 "2011-08-27T00:07:20Z")
> [@lavenderviolet](#): > > > [@miss\_elizabeth](#): > > > > I don’t care why you are laying on an operating table; I don’t care if you were going on a mass murdering spree involving puppies, kittens, and babies and the hammer bounced off a particularly thick puppy skull and caused your aorta to rupture; _if the doctor was negligent in his care you deserve to be compensated_. The end. Doctors do not get to decide how “well” they will treat you based on whether they agree with your life choices. That’s it. > > As a doctor myself, I agree with this. I can’t say if the doctor did indeed commit malpractice, but if there WAS malpractice, it doesn’t matter how Jamie wound up in the accident. > I’ve had to take care of convicts, pedophiles, drug addicts, abusers, etc. I don’t treat them any differently. It’s not my role to punish them. Thank you for saying so, **lavenderviolet**. The suggestions from some quarters that Jamie _deserved to be crippled by malpractice_ because of his decisions before the accident have been the most disturbing part of this affair to me. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ethics-of-my-accident/594237/36 "2011-08-27T00:07:45Z")
> [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > There are no buts. Why the fuck are you suing them? Just going to avoid the question? ---
**Author:** ![treis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ethics-of-my-accident/594237/37 "2011-08-27T00:12:42Z")
> [@jamiemcgarry](#): > > Isn’t the outcome of my case an answer to that question? No. Not every bad outcome is the result of a deviation from accepted career. ---
**Author:** ![Cub\_Mistress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea666f/32.png) [@Cub\_Mistress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cub_Mistress)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ethics-of-my-accident/594237/38 "2011-08-27T00:13:06Z")
I have a question about the malpractice case: Did a judge or jury hear the case and award damages or did the doctor’s insurance company offer a settlement that you accepted? ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ethics-of-my-accident/594237/39 "2011-08-27T00:13:20Z")
> [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > Just going to avoid the question? I am suing no one. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ethics-of-my-accident/594237/40 "2011-08-27T00:14:44Z")
> [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](#): > > For a guy who claims to sit around smoking (medical) reefer all day long, day in day out, all on the government’s dime no less, you sure have an entitlement-minded attitude about your self imposed situation… > > By the way, how often are you actively toking up behind the wheel as you cruise around town looking for people to confront about their shocking lack of empathy for the differently-abled? Total bullshit. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ethics-of-my-accident/594237.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ethics-of-my-accident/594237.md?page=3)