RE: Woman in labor fined $1,050 for speeding to hospital

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RE: Woman in labor fined $1,050 for speeding to hospital - 8/13/2007 12:20:35 PM

CuriousLord

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When I was eighteen, and had a sub that was in such pains, I got to the hospital in under ten minutes. On a route that normally took half an hour. How? Driving beside the road. Driving over twice the speed limit. Going through intersections while having a red light. Oddly enough, not one incident with the cops.

I'd argue, to anyone that would call this reckless that, while possibly difficult for many and not something that should be allowed for this with difficulties to do so, I had no troubles. There were no close calls nor luck involved- I was careful; I wasn't about to throw our lives away in an attempt to simply have a better chance at fixing whatever was wrong with her. No other cars were forced to dodge, change lanes, slow down, speed up, or make any other unusual decisions to avoid an accident.

This said, what was going through my head? I was well aware of the possiblity of heavy fines, though, at that moment in time, I just didn't care. For that matter, any police officers that wanted to pull me over could do so. In the hospital parking lot.

Sometimes, when it's something that seems like a life or death situation, such fines are only problems to deal with in the aftermath. Even if such problems in the aftermath involve jail time.

PS- I do live in Virginia, though this was before such laws went into effect.

< Message edited by CuriousLord -- 8/13/2007 12:25:12 PM >

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RE: Woman in labor fined $1,050 for speeding to hospital - 8/13/2007 12:39:03 PM

littlesarbonn

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There's something else to consider here that's not really being addressed: A cost benefit analysis based on how much time was really saved. Let's assume that the person was 10 miles away from the hospital. She was traveling 56 miles an hour in a 35 mile/hour zone. So, let's look at what she saved by speeding.

10 miles X 1 hour/35 miles = 0.286 hours X 60 minutes/hour = 17 minutes
10 miles X 1 hour/56 miles = 0.179 hours X 60 minutes/hour = 11 minutes

So, her rush through town saved her approximately 6 minutes. In the grand scheme of things, is speeding really that beneficial? I would argue that going 35 miles/hour, she would probably be able to use a cell phone and talk to the hospital during the trip and have them ready for her at the emergency room, but that would be quite difficult at the speeding rate, unless she has an occupation like Jack Bauer who is notorious for speeding while talking on his cell phone.

Anyway, just a thought.

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RE: Woman in labor fined $1,050 for speeding to hospital - 8/13/2007 2:02:00 PM

dollylima

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quote:

ORIGINAL: cyberdude611

quote:

ORIGINAL: dollylima

Anyone who feels they are in the midst of a medical emergency should call 911. Period. Driving yourself or someone else to the hospital in an emergency means there is nobody there qualified or equipped to handle it if things go south before you reach the hospital.
And they have sirens on their vehicles for a reason.

An ambulance ride costs $1,500. For someone without insurance....this is out of the question.. And some insurance companies will not pay for it unless it is an emergency that the person couldn't drive themselves.

That's our healthcare system for you.....

Who pays if the person has a major, potentially life-threatening accident on the way to the hospital? I can guarantee you, a night in the ICU costs more than 1500.00. An ounce of prevention, people.
Wasnt the whole point of the complaint that she was "in an emergency" and had a reason to be speeding? If it was truly a medical emergency, she should have called 911. Im not talking about riding in an ambulance to the ER to get an xray of your foot that has been broken for three days (which, by the way, PLENTY of uninsured people do every day), Im talking about a medical emergency.

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