Subtitle: Best laid plans of mice and men...
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"I am at work. A $%^ fell on my foot and broke it. My foot has bones sticking out of it. What should I do?"
Mrs ERJ responded, "Call 9-1-1".
Kid: "Don't wanna do that. I have to finish loading equipment."
---followed by---
Kid: "My buddy is going to drive me back to Lansing in his truck"
Mrs ERJ: "Where are you?"
Kid: "Detroit".
Mrs ERJ: "Lots of hospitals near Detroit"
Kid: "Tanner said he would drop me off at Sparrow in Lansing but I will need a ride home."
Mrs ERJ: "OK. Your dad hates weddings anyway. We are on our way back."
He was admitted to Sparrow's ER at 7PM. We arrived at 9PM. He was released at 12:30AM with a boot, doped to the gills on pain-meds and strict instructions to see a ortho-foot doc speedy-quick.
Emergency Room Waiting room
I enjoyed talking with Steve. We are almost neighbors. He lives in Olivet. He is a retired truck-driver and was waiting for his wife. She was admitted and will not be released for two or three days. He left at midnight. He was as sharp-as-a-tack and had a gentle sense of humor.
A confused, 27 year-old woman named DB (Dim-Bulb) was not as enjoyable. She was narrow-minded and judgemental and, frankly, not very bright. Her 27 y-o baby-daddy had a stroke. Steve suggested that they get married. DB was dismissive and said that marriage was old-fashioned. Steve, undeterred, said if her baby-daddy kicked the bucket that she would collect Social Security survivor benefits if they were married. "Something to think about".
A tall, skinny Texan from Galveston with gold teeth and unreadable tatts was there. He had driven his girl-friend and GF's baby (not his) into the ER.
A black lady who was a total saint was helping an expectant father retain his sanity by entertaining the the four-year-old boy who had been waiting with the expectant father for the last ten hours. I never caught the black lady's name.
Assorted street people drifted in the hospital and were broomed out by security. Security was wearing body armor. One of the street people sat down was sure he knew me. He had obviously suffered brain damage at some point in his life. The conversation looped and it was a very short loop. It looped-and-looped-and-looped-and-looped... I don't mean any disrespect, but I learned that he was an Alabama fan about seven times.
Our evening was capped off when Trooper Pendall of the Michigan State Police pulled us over a mile from home. He was polite and professional. He asked why we were out-and-about on this fine Sunday morning. Mrs ERJ shared a detailed itinerary of our day.
Trooper Pendall ran our plates and found no outstanding warrants for either of us (surprise!) and the car had not been reported as stolen.
The vehicle we were driving, one that we had Shanghaied in Indianapolis when it became clear that we needed to be in Lansing, had windows tinted in excess of what Michigan law allows. Trooper Pendall asked us to share that information with the owner of the car and requested that the owner fix that problem. No citation was issued.
Frankly, getting stopped by a polite state trooper was very small potatoes in the over-all context of the day. If any of my readers know Trooper Pendall, please let him know that his performance earned him the ERJ Seal of Approval.
Nice story about the ride until the police enter the picture. You mentioned it without probably realizing what had happened but why on earth would you think it was acceptable for the police to ask you why you were out in the morning.
ReplyDeleteLet them ask but you don't have to answer.
So there was Trooper Pendall looking into a vehicle that looked like it belonged to a drug-dealer.
DeleteThere is a high-class woman in the passenger seat and she was dressed to the nines. The driver was a disreputable looking fellow wearing a grease-stained tee-shirt and camo shorts.
Kidnapping in progress?
Besides, it amused me to watch the trooper drown in the torrent of words. He was trying to spin the puzzle-pieces so that they aligned and she kept hitting him with the fire-hose.
Besides, it is better for my marriage to let Mrs ERJ say her piece. It is not a battle worth fighting.
"Besides, it is better for my marriage to let Mrs ERJ say her piece. It is not a battle worth fighting" - Truth spoken there. Sometimes, chewing the restraints is less recommended then just let the Significant Other have their say. LEOs are likely used to this 'constructive criticism'. Just another perk. :^)
Delete"but why on earth would you think it was acceptable for the police to ask you why you were out in the morning."
ReplyDeleteBecause he was being polite and professional.
Yeah, there's a balance between doing cop stuff and oppression. Polite and professional go a long way; both of them are important in the former and absent in the latter.
ReplyDeleteBoat Guy
Oddly enough there is an Uranus, MO that does fudge too. My 13 nephew got the biggest kick out of visiting there last year.
ReplyDeletehello
ReplyDeleteMetatarsal guards with steel toe boots?
ReplyDeleteWhat the heck fell on his foot that would cause it to fracture so badly that bones were protruding from the surface?
Details are sketchy. See followup reply below.
DeleteThe story seems to be that a dump-truck was dropping a load of stone/rocks and one of the larger ones bounced and rolled in unpredictable ways.
Stay away from large crowds in the 2020s, and stay away from the business end of dump trucks doing what they do, ever since there have been dump trucks?
DeleteI'm wondering what it felt like to take the boot off a foot with 'bones sticking out of it'.
ReplyDeleteThe ER room doc determined that he had broken toes. Little toe was half-severed. There may have also been broken metatarsals. Doc strongly recommended followup with a specialist.
DeleteI counseled do not until at the ER, but the victim did proceed and was successful in cutting in half his boot.
DeleteGory yes, but the howls of pain as the mangled ballooned up (not including the dangling bits) were indescribable.
Note that when Gov Whitler has her picture taken while delivering another dictatorial order she always has a state cop or two standing there on each side of her in their Achtung pose. Think that might mean something?---ken
ReplyDeleteYannow, for a boring old guy you live an interesting life!
ReplyDeleteA quick call to the trooper’s post commander goes a long way, and an attaboy in a personnel file is never a bad thing.
ReplyDeleteIt does not cancel an Aw #### (nothing cancels one of those) but it doesn’t hurt.
ANY fracture that breaks the skin requires SWIFT intervention by an orthopedist. The odds of infection are almost 100% if not properly debrided, fixated and closed. Osteomyelitis, once it begins is a gold plated bitch to treat and often results in amputation. DON'T let the kid blow this off.
ReplyDeleteAs for getting stopped at O dark thirty by the man....I ask "what was the specific reason for stopping me?". If they pull a BS answer out of their ass call them on it. Do NOT allow cops the luxury of abusing your Rights whenever they feel like it. They MUST have an articulable reason for pulling you over backed up by tangible provable facts. Anything less is a violation of your Rights and usually a violation of department policy.
I have reached the point I agree with Dan more than giving the cop(s) the benefit of the doubt.
DeleteIf it is OK for them to pull you over without cause just to check you out then it's OK for them to monitor you email and phone calls and even bug your house and car and monitor your credit card purchases just to check you out. Gotta keep us all safe don'tcha know.---ken
Delete"call them on it"
DeleteYeah, because that's the best time and place argue with a cop......
I hear ya. Only problem is he might have you over the hood getting a proctology exam. ---ken
Delete