Child breaks arm, school calls parent instead of ambulance - thoughts?

[Sweet72947]

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow...191021932.html

Fourth-grader Ally D'Eon suffered a nasty fall from her school's jungle gym on Tuesday, breaking her arm in two places. But her parents say the real offense occurred when school officials called the D'Eons to notify them of their daughter's injury, rather than calling 911 or an ambulance.

"The doctors in the emergency room and the nurses in the emergency room said, 'First aid 101, a break with a clear deformity needs an ambulance and it needs to be stabilized,'" Jenn D'Eon told WCVB.

The Lynn Daily Item reported that Veterans Memorial Elementary School Principal Jean Perry defended the decision, citing school district policy.

"The school nurse or another trained person will be responsible for administering first aid. When the nature of an illness or an injury appears in any way serious, every effort will be made to contact the parent and/or family physician immediately," the district policy reads, according to the paper.

Saugus Superintendent of Schools Richard P. Langlois also supported the school's decision in a statement, saying the "medical staff is fully qualified to make appropriate assessment and recommendation for treatment in such instances, and did so accordingly."

Nonetheless, Jenn D'Eon said the "case-by-case basis" school policy is ineffective and should be changed so that other students aren't left waiting in pain.

"I wanted to scream, 'Hurry up, get me out of here!'" Ally told WHDH.

some people side with the mother and think the school should have called an ambulance before calling her, and some people seem to think that the school's decision was ok since "the next thing you know the parent would be saying that the school had no right to make that decision."

What do you guys think?

[sparks19]

I think one person should have been on the phone with the parent while another person was calling 911. That way they can tell the parent "her arm is broken, so and so is on the line with 911 right now and waiting on an ambulance to arrive. Please get to the hospital"

When I was having an asthma attack at school one time my inhaler wasn't helping and even though I wasn't on deaths door the office tried many things to calm my asthma and then called 911 and got an ambulance there. They called my father after they called 911 and told him I was enroute to hospital.

[RBark]

Psh. These people. Back in my day we'd just duct tape a stick to their arm and send them back to class.

[joce]

I think they made the right call. Who gets taken away by ambulance for a broken arm?! And I can say even for kids having asthma attacks parents pitch fits about ambulance bills so it is an issue! damned if you do damned if you don't.

I could see if it was a bone sticking out, possible back injury, or she couldn't walk, or breathe. But parents should have been called and give the option to have the ambulance called.

My friends son just broke his arm during football practice at school. They sure didn't call the ambulance for him, and they didn't expect them to.

They can say bye to that jungle gym I bet.

[LindaJD]

For just a broken arm, I see nothing wrong with calling the parents first. A real serious injury, then call 911 as someone else is calling the parent. I wouldn't call an ambulance if my kids broke his arm, I'd drive them to the E/R myself. Seems like too many parents these days complain about anything and everything. They would probably have complained if the school called an ambulance first.

[MandyPug]

Ambulance trips aren't cheap so I imagine that some parents would like to decide if an ambulance is needed or I'd they can come get the child to take them in right away. I can see being a parent and then hit with that bill that maybe not every family can afford.i can see the school also being sued for calling an ambulance and being forced to pay hospital bills when the parent wasn't contacted right away. I think really the school is going to make someone upset regardless of who they call first.

[sparks19]

I'd say let them complain about you calling an ambulance. A complaining parent is better than a suing parent.

We just had safety day at the homeschool co op and the EMT's talked about broken bones and told the kids that yes you should infact call them for a broken arm or leg as it needs to be stabalized to help prevent any further damage to the tissue and/or nerves.

I broke my leg at the park when I was 8 years old in two places. we didn't have cell phones then so the teenage girl I was with had to piggy back me home and by the time I got to the hospital my leg was too swollen to cast so I had to stay overnight. So I think maybe I'd rather pay the ambulance bill than an overnight hospital stay bill.

but really I think just to cover their own butts the school should err on the side of caution and request medical assistance first so they don't end up with a law suit for not doing enough. it is the world we live in these days.

[Fran101]

If the kid is near death or it's a REAL emergency (kid is in real danger) of course, 911 first. But I believe policy in most places otherwise.. is to call the parents first.
Parents have a way of sueing schools for doing things.. so I kind of get the school covering their butts and calling the parents before to make sure.

Examples:

School calls 911. Ambulance takes kid to hospital. Parents get hospital bill (including ambulance fee) and sue school for money because they could've/would've taken the child themselves.

School calls 911. Ambulance takes kid. Hospital messes up/something happens/kid has an allergy the school didn't inform the EMTs of. Parents sue the school for taking the kid to the wrong hospital, or not calling them to take their kid themselves etc..

School calls 911. ________ (insert medical procedure/hospital chosen here) is against family's religion. Parents sue school and hospital.

School calls 911. Scared kid rides to hospital alone. Parents sue school for traumatizing their child .

etc..etc..etc..

Personally, I understand where the school is coming from.

Try the parents first, inform them and have someone else ready and talking to 9-11 ready to give them instructions.

[sparks19]

or delayed time in stabalizing the injury results in further damage and larger hospital bills, longer hospital stay, surgery....

School gets sued.

can't win.

so I say call both at the same time. call parent and tell them so and so is on the line with 911 and an ambulance is on the way. if parent then says NO it's Ok I'll come get them... the other person can tell 911 that then they cover all their bases

[Maxy24]

I don't know, broken arms can certainly be serious. My brother broke his arm falling out of a tree and the bone ripped through an artery and was pressing on a nerve (or something like that, I was a toddler so only know through stories). They were pretty sure he was going to loose the arm, thankfully they saved it with surgery, but waiting would have been a bad idea.


That said, I don't think a quick phone call to the parent first is a big deal in this case. If it were a case where they spent an hour trying to get a hold of a parent first then I'd understand being mad, but I don't think a quick call where the parent answered the first time would make a big difference.