A man collapsed

[Mike Painter]

IMHO, it's probably better to have the family come into the hospital before being told. Bad news can usually wait until the family is in better surroundings to be told.

I'm *good* at delivering information and keeping people calm.
I notified a family that lived about 50 miles away that their son had been in an accident and recieved nothing more than a cut lip. (True but it cut the lip in half.)
They showed up less than 40 minutes later. They had passed through three other towns on the way...
I asked what I had done to alarm them and they said nothing, but the last time somebody told them that they took their time and their other son was dead when thet got there.
Calling them to the hospital and not telling the truth is wrong at best and possibly grounds for a law suit. In California at least the most common way to deliver a death notice is the police or sheriff's department.

 

[eebowler]

flashfan: You are correct. There was only a 'contact in case of emergency' number provided without a name to go with it.

Wolfen: Those are scary truths the hiking club WILL have to be aware of.

Mike: False hope is something NO ONE deserves.

 

[ACMarina]

Mike - Exactly my thoughts. Ya know, as I think about it, just because you have an emergency contact number doesn't always mean it's for the holder to use, is it?? Let's say a student is injured on a field trip; the teacher has the emergency information, but is that really for them to use?? My experiences thus far have been that the information would be transferred to the paramedics, fire department, etc. The police department does this kind of thing every day, and they're trained to do it for a reason. Even in a non-life threatening emergency, it's best to get information from someone you know and/or trust, not a complete stranger. If it can be done, it's best to let a public servant like a police officer handle the situation..