Injured Woman Asks Bystanders Not to Call Ambulance Because She Can’t Afford It

On Friday, June 29th, a heartbreaking story was released regarding a woman whose leg was dangerously injured after she slipped between a train and its platform.

Her limb was twisted and bleeding heavily. However, after she saw that people nearby were grabbing their cell phones to call for an ambulance, the woman pleaded with for them not to do so. She stated that she could not afford an ambulance. People nearby still managed to help her, pushing the train so that she could free her leg.

The story was told by a Boston Globe reporter, Maria Cramer, who was at the scene at the time of the incident. She first stated what happened through a tweet, writing:

“Awful scene on the orange line. A woman’s leg got stuck in the gap between the train and the platform. It was twisted and bloody. Skin came off. She’s in agony and weeping. Just as upsetting she begged no one call an ambulance. ‘It’s $3000,’ she wailed. ‘I can’t afford that.’ “

She then tweeted:

“When I saw her sitting on the platform, she was shaking, crying, in terrible pain and very scared about what this injury would do to her financially.” The reporter kept updating her followers about what happened afterwards and considering the different ways in which she could have been helped by other bystanders. She also mentioned that many people had reached out to her via email asking for a way to contact the woman and help her pay the bills. She is still trying to reach out in order to find her.

The extensive description that Maria Cramer offered in her article displays how people did not hesitate for a second before running to aid the woman in need. While bystanders were pushing the train, someone offered to hold the woman to prevent her from falling and another person held pressure on her leg with a cold water bottle. At least ten people can be seen trying to move the train in a video released by the MBTA on Monday. Her leg’s removal from the gap did not take more than a couple of minutes, according to witnesses. According to a police report, she did not break any bones, but she will need surgery.

The police report also stated:

“The gap where leg became stuck is approximately 5 inches, and is like this on a large portion of the platform. The incident was captured via camera … A video request was sent to Crime Scene Services to log the footage.”

Boston EMS Chief Jim Hooley was quick to reach out and state his view on the situation. He mentioned that an ambulance can cost between $1,200 and $1,900 when it comes to patients with urgent needs. He proceeded by stating:

“We just worry about taking care of people. We don’t want to cause them more stress. We just want to reassure them that nothing bad is going to happen to them because of their inability to pay.”

People were quick to show their outrage online, following the article’s release and Cramer’s tweets, debating the state of public health care in America.

Featured Image via Wikimedia Commons