katybee
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,610 
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Post by katybee on Jul 19, 2019 20:39:34 GMT
Today, I found my neighbor out cold in his car. He was parked in front of his garage. His seat belt was on, the car was running, the window was down and his head was hanging completely down. I watched him for 20 minutes and he did not move.
In any other case, I would have tried to wake him up. But this guy is WEIRD. One day last summer, he was working on his car in his garage (he is always working on his car in his garage. Last week, he had his shop vac going at 2am). Anyway, he starts screaming for help and crying.... like actually crying.....very loudly. I couldn’t see him, so I ran over to see if he was pinned under his car or something. He wasn’t...he was just frustrated. When I asked if he needed help, he yelled at me that I couldn’t help him. OK dokey then. He’s only gotten weirder since then.
So so I did not feel comfortable waking him from a dead sleep. But after 30 minutes of him literally not moving—car running—I decided to call 911. What if it was a drug overdose? Or something else serious?
The paramedics arrived very quickly and were able to wake him up. They stayed and talked to him and he was up and walking around. A friend came and picked me up shortly after, so I didn’t see how it ended, but his car is gone, so I assume he’s fine.
Now I feel bad...should I have just sucked it up and tried to wake him myself? Should I just have minded my own business and let him sleep? I’m not normally a busybody—I swear. And even though he annoys the CRAP out of me (with his excessive banging around at all hours, the junk/trash he leaves outside his garage and because he does “talk” to himself—a lot), I pretty much just ignore him and let him live his life.
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tanya2
Pearl Clutcher
Refupea #1604
Posts: 4,486
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Post by tanya2 on Jul 19, 2019 20:41:33 GMT
I think I would have done the same as you
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Post by mustlovecats on Jul 19, 2019 20:43:03 GMT
If you were concerned for his safety but didn’t feel comfortable trying to wake him yourself, calling professional help is the right thing to do.
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Post by kmcginn on Jul 19, 2019 20:45:43 GMT
You absolutely did the right thing.
What if there WAS something wrong and you did nothing. If it later turned into a tragedy, you wouldn't be able to live with yourself.
Don't feel bad - you were being a good neighbor for looking out for him!
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Post by LavenderLayoutLady on Jul 19, 2019 20:50:20 GMT
I would have called 911.
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Post by bc2ca on Jul 19, 2019 20:53:06 GMT
His seat belt was on, the car was running, the window was down and his head was hanging completely down. I watched him for 20 minutes and he did not move. I might have called out to him by name and asked if he was okay, but I don't think you did anything wrong or busybodish calling for help. The chances that he was having some sort of medical episode outweigh the idea that he "just" feel asleep at the wheel as he was heading out/arriving home IMHO. |
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Post by librarylady on Jul 19, 2019 20:57:52 GMT
I would have done the same.
I think you did exactly the right thing....and the professionals can decide if it is an OD or just sleeping.
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Rhondito
Pearl Clutcher
MississipPea
Posts: 4,950
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Post by Rhondito on Jul 19, 2019 21:02:06 GMT
You did the right thing.
I had an acquaintance who had some type of breathing condition, she used inhalers. She was found dead inside her vehicle in her driveway a couple of years ago; she'd had an attack and either didn't have an inhaler or the one she had was empty. It was really sad.
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Post by lucyg on Jul 19, 2019 21:08:13 GMT
I think you did the right thing.
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marianne
Pearl Clutcher
Not my circus, not my monkeys. . . My monkeys fly!
Posts: 4,176
Location: right smack dab in the middle of SC
Site Supporter
Jun 25, 2014 21:08:26 GMT
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Post by marianne on Jul 19, 2019 21:09:16 GMT
I think you did the right thing. Especially since the car was running and he appeared to be unconscious. Let the pros deal with the weirdness of him.
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Sue
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,266
Location: SE of Portland, Oregon
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Post by Sue on Jul 19, 2019 21:12:29 GMT
I agree with what has already been said. You did the right thing. You know enough about him that who knows what his reaction might have been if nothing was wrong and you woke him yourself. Best left to professionals to find out if something was amiss.
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Post by freecharlie on Jul 19, 2019 21:36:55 GMT
You did the right thing.
He could have od'd and needed whatever med they give
He could have been dead and that could have freaked your out
He could have been on drugs and attacked you...
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Post by revirdsuba99 on Jul 19, 2019 21:39:32 GMT
You did the right thing!! Better safe then sorry!
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Post by Skellinton on Jul 19, 2019 21:44:58 GMT
You absolutely did the right thing.
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IAmUnoriginal
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,894
Jun 25, 2014 23:27:45 GMT
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Post by IAmUnoriginal on Jul 19, 2019 21:50:08 GMT
You did the right thing. If he needed medical attention, they were there. If he needed to be kept off the road because he was showing signs of being intoxicated, the medics could have escalated the situation to PD. You got involved without putting yourself at risk.
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Post by elaine on Jul 19, 2019 21:54:05 GMT
You did the right thing!
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Post by papercrafteradvocate on Jul 19, 2019 21:56:00 GMT
You did good! ❤️
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Post by anniefb on Jul 19, 2019 22:00:37 GMT
I would have done the same.
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peabay
Prolific Pea
Posts: 9,975
Jun 25, 2014 19:50:41 GMT
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Post by peabay on Jul 19, 2019 22:24:48 GMT
You did just fine. The only wrong thing to do would've been to ignore it.
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Post by ~summer~ on Jul 19, 2019 22:27:26 GMT
I think you did the right thing.
I would have probably yelled "hello??!!!!" to him first or driven by and honked at him to wake him up (he shouldn't be sleeping in his car with it running) but I think what you did was totally fine.
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Post by sassyangel on Jul 19, 2019 22:31:19 GMT
You did the right thing.  Given your history with him, you did the only thing you could do. I wouldn’t have intervened myself either in those circumstances. Paramedics are trained and if he’s hostile with them, they are trained to handle it. |
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Post by angieh1996 on Jul 19, 2019 22:38:26 GMT
I validate you. You did the right thing. Our back neighbor is a drunk and one late afternoon he was in his garage spinning his tires. The garage door was down and the smoke from the tires was so thick it hung over the either neighborhood. We weren't sure if he was still in his garage passed out or went inside. So my DH a retired LEO just called the cops. Fire showed up and broke down his garage door and doused the entire thing in water. They found him passed out in his house completely shit faces. i still think we made the right call.
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PaperAngel
Prolific Pea
Posts: 8,843
Jun 27, 2014 23:04:06 GMT
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Post by PaperAngel on Jul 19, 2019 22:40:18 GMT
(((hugs))) You undoubtedly did the right thing! You are a good neighbor. Regardless his past behaviors, being slumped over behind the wheel of a running car with a seat belt still on & the window down is not normal. He could have been having/had a medical crisis & your call saved his life OR scared him from driving while impaired in the future. You were wise to contact emergency professionals trained to handle potentially volatile situations & should not hesitate to take the same action in the future. (((hugs)))
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scrapngranny
Pearl Clutcher
Only slightly senile
Posts: 4,949
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Post by scrapngranny on Jul 19, 2019 23:09:49 GMT
You did the right thing. Even if it wasn’t an overdose, he should be checked out to make sure he was alright to drive.
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kelly8875
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,448
Location: Lost in my supplies...
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Post by kelly8875 on Jul 19, 2019 23:17:31 GMT
That’s what I would have done too. Better to call for help than ignore it. What if something would have been wrong and you didn’t call, you’d carry that guilt forever.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Aug 18, 2025 21:55:05 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 19, 2019 23:17:33 GMT
I think you did the exact right thing.
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cycworker
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,556
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Post by cycworker on Jul 19, 2019 23:22:40 GMT
You did the right thing. Gently, I must admit I'm curious why you waited 30 minutes though. I'd have waited 10, tops.
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J u l e e
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,531
Location: Cincinnati
Jun 28, 2014 2:50:47 GMT
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Post by J u l e e on Jul 19, 2019 23:24:43 GMT
As I was reading your post and before I got to what you decided to do I was thinking, "I hope she called 911!"
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likescarrots
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,879
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Post by likescarrots on Jul 20, 2019 0:00:46 GMT
I probably would have just yelled at him from my yard first, but if he didn't respond I would have called too.
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katybee
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,610
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Post by katybee on Jul 20, 2019 0:38:06 GMT
You did the right thing. Gently, I must admit I'm curious why you waited 30 minutes though. I'd have waited 10, tops. I first saw him when I was walking my dog and didn’t think anything of it, because it wouldn’t be completely out of character for him to doze off. But 20 minutes later, when I went out to water my plants, I saw he was still there...in exactly the same position with the car still running. That’s when I got worried. So then I hemmed and hawed about whether to go wake him up myself or call 911. My brother happened to text about something unrelated, so I was asking him and he convinced me to call 911 over waking him up myself. |
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