Texting While Driving

Last week, in the bereavement group I go to, someone talked about the “irresponsible” people who text-messaged while on the road.  She talked about an accident where, as people tried to swerve to get out of the texter’s way, they became involved in an accident, while the person who originally was texting sped off on their merry way, unaware of what just happened.

It then occurred to me why Ruth’s death was so hard for people to figure out, especially the healthcare provider whom I blame. Ruth had gone through three medical systems before she died.  She had been with HealthCare Partners for a month.  On the day she died, she was also with them– for five hours.  She was then transferred to the second medical system–Aegis Ambulance Services, which brought her to the third medical system– Glendale Memorial Hospital.  It was with the ambulance services- the second system– that the impending collapse became evident to the people serving her. The second and third systems made a mad dash to try to serve her life.  In the meantime, the first system was totally oblivious to what they had caused.

Ruth spent a total of seven hours with HealthCare Partners two days before she died.  On the day she died she was with them five hours.  That was a total of 12 hours. In all that time, a doctor was present with her for a total of a half-hour at most.  No emergency was deemed.  It was not urgent.

“We did nothing wrong” an official at HealthCare Partners told me.  It is really strange that once she was transferred to the second system, the “state of emergency” immediately became evident.  Isn’t it really strange that the person who texted while driving on the road can say that the accident was not their fault.