I'm in Australia and can't find any reference to this in any newspaper here.

Frankly, the notion that 30 co-workers, all of whom had telephones, (it was a call centre,) stood in a circle around a co-worker, watching ghoulishly as she had a heart attack, slowly turned blue and died ....

They were not strangers.
Two, according to the OP, had first aid training.
They had a defibrillator
They all knew how to ring 000, (Emergency in Australia.)
Australians have a tradition of helping each other.
There has been a lot of public education in Australia about the need to ring an ambulance quickly in case of heart attack.

Also, you make no mention of any supervisor.

Sorry, proof or it didn't happen.

Titorite and justgeneric beat me to the call as well. The story just doesn't add up. I could be wrong, and I am sorry if I am.

I think the halloween call might be more accurate. I wonder how the op is going to respond.

"Her parents are planning to sue them anyway because they watched her die. "

That's the most ironic thing I've ever heard. They deserve nothing less. Maybe they should be charged criminally. Maybe sue the company for having such a restrictive policy. Maybe sue the world for being so @#$% PC that it literally kills someone.

I'm not sure how things work down there in Australia but here in the US if there is a person who is certified in CPR and does nothing they can be sued just on that fact alone. At least thats what I was taught in CPR class.

You should definitely start looking for a new job immediately. I know I would be. If I had a heart attack I'd at least want to know someone will call an ambulance immediately for God sake.

As for being sued, the two trained in first aid who did nothing deserve to be punished, but maybe by prison time rather than financially. At the very least they should be fired. I think the whole concept of benefiting financially from someone else's death is complete insanity and I can't believe anybody thinks its a good idea. I'm sorry but you don't deserve legal financial compensation for OTHER people's suffering (or death). Maybe your own but definitely not other people's.

Hey man, starred and flagged.

I don't know what's wrong with some people nowadays.
I live in NY and one day while taking the subway I transferred from the 7 local train to the express. While waiting for the 7 express train, which is above street level, I was listening to music on my MP3 player when I noticed that people, on the same platform that I was, were making gesture and screaming and pointing at something. My heart started beating faster and I ran to see what was going on.

An Asian man had fallen on the tracks and was just laying there not moving, the express train was approaching and people were just watching and screaming.

It didn't take me a second to jump onto the tracks, waved vigorously to the incoming train while trying to save the man on the tracks.

I succeeded. The conductor stopped almost on top of me, I grabbed the man and pushed him on the platform with the help of a police officer that was standing on the platform. The man didn't say a word to me but the people there were clapping and congratulating me.

I wondered why people didn't try to save the man when they saw what was going on way before I noticed.

I feel what you are saying man. In this social system, people are afraid to do anything; even helping an old lady cross the street can lead to a law suit against you.
Sad, very sad!

Wow that is a truly saddening story assuming its true.

Im unable to find anything about it anywhere but I suppose that doesnt necessarily mean it didnt happen.

Well, if they just stood there and did nothing to help I am truly disapointed in my fellow man, I am proud of you though as you did everything you could to try and help.

If this did happen I imagine that the comapny would be the one getting sued as they dont seem to have appropriatley trained anyone how to handle this type of situation. Of course I imagine as well that that the ones standing around would get in some trouble as well but im not quite sure just how much trouble they could get in.

That said, I dont suppose you have a link to an article talking about this do you? That would help alot here and remove any doubt as to the legitamcy of the OP's claims.


Dust

What the hell has happened to "empathy"? I cannot comprehend the lack of it in people today.

Not a one line post.

[edit on 17-10-2008 by CreeWolf]

My girlfriends a nurse and they have been told to keep their mouths shut as have doctors for one simple reason : they get sued if anything goes wrong.

Blame the culture where everything is someboys fault who can be sued somehow. There is no such thing as an accident anymore nor gratefulness for anybody trying to help and do their best.

reply to post by Star kitten

---

This is absolutly awful...at least you tried,not that it makes it any better for you,but you deserve some praise for at least trying to help..I just don't know what this world is coming to,I really don't isn't a life more important then being sued,come on....I really feel for you,I personally wouldn't want to step foot in that place again,knowing that the people I worked alongside obviously have no identity as to what is right and wrong...I know that you may have no choice in going back sooner or later,as it isn't easy for us to just jack in our jobs especialy the climate as it is today...
But you did the right thing they were totally out of order all of them...in hindsite they more or less murdered that girl! I hope you get over this eventually,its not a nice thing to have witnessed...a Big Hug to you..ok...

Our system starting from preschool is designed to turn us into this : consuming machines, thinking only about how to make our life more comfortable using money and buying things. Each for himself alone in the crowd like a swarm of locusts. And we are even proud about how much we can consume, the more, the better
This is what children learn that is the "way to live"


Besides this there is the "ego" that our system encourages to grow to giant proportions. But this ego is the slave of rules, and most people are very afraid of doing something that makes them an "outsider". Afraid of thinking and doing the things they want. Always do what others do, be part of the group. See Stanford experiment - it explains why those people did not help the girl. 95% of people will follow others right into the abyss, 5% will think for themselves.
Braveheart - "your heart is free don't be afraid to follow it" got it right.



[edit on 17-10-2008 by pai mei]

Yes, it's madness IMO. People out for revenge and trying to cash in on a tragedy. In the end they just make the situation more tragic then it already was, and also create more problems, as what you mention has possibly caused this.

At some point, don't people need to just take the high road?

Eye for an eye mentality leaves the whole world blind.

This whole story doesn't make any sense.... Sounds like ridisulous premise for for a ridiculous horror movie.

And this hasn't got out to the media. If the parents are thinkking about suing it would be no time they would've gone to the media.

I have a close friend who lives in Australia and there is no story at all about this which could be big. This is the kind of story that the press would like to air.

And in this age of Internet the story would be all over the place.

All you have is just a story with ZERO evidence.

I'm smelling B.S.

[edit on 17-10-2008 by spacebagel]

...you checked her pulse and breathing...and there was neither?

...and you say when you arrived she had started turning blue?

I'm going to reserve judgement on this. Heart goes out to ya if its true...but, hey, hope you also understand the natural suspiciousness of some of us.

reply to post by badmedia

---

"Terrible story. But I think her parents are wrong to sue. Not that I agree with them just standing around. But because they are merely looking for revenge through financial means, with a bonus for themselves in wealth.

No matter if they realize it or not, they are doing the exact thing that possibly caused their daughters death in the first place if those people were worried about being sued."



They did not call emergency services , did not do CPR, & as a group simply watched her turn blue? This is the textbook defination of "insanity". Such people are a complete and utter waste of human tissue.

They should be held personally accountable.

this may sound raw to hear, but was the girl that died.. a particularly annoying or not-well-liked person in the work place? overweight?
was she the type of person that some of these people actually.. (as much as I don't like saying it) .. WOULDN'T MIND seeing "gone" ?

just asking, because as sick as it is...that might have been a factor in their negligence of aid.

-

th story would be all over the place the SECOND it happened?

give it a day or week.


-

Its a sad end to a short life, fear of being sued for attempting to save her life.

This is a sad pathetic world that we live in that we cant even help a dying friend.

reply to post by Star kitten

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Wow that's messed up, what a bunch of sacks of excrement. Around here we have 'good samaritan' laws that basically say you CAN NOT be sued for trying to save another persons life. I gotta wonder if your area of the world has such a thing.

The only thing i can't belive is why they not call for a ambulance!!!
As far as i know, nobody can be sued for calling for a ambulance!
In the same way, if some one sees some one in trouble, in the case you do not have any kind of tecnical expertiees that can help the victim in that situation, you can call a ambulance and just wait...This in the worst case.
But fore real....no...it's impossible...in 30 men not a single one called for a ambulance? Have i red something wrong about this?