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EMT who’s seen it all tells of the night he wishes he could forget

EMS story: The piano man

(Photo by the author)

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People often ask me: “What was the worst thing you ever saw on the ambulance?”

I think they are expecting some gruesome story about a decapitation or something. I’ve seen dead kids, people shot in the head, chest, and legs, burns, and stab wounds to the heart. I’ve seen strokes, heart attacks, cardiac arrests, overdoses and a multitude of illnesses and injuries, but nothing stands out in my mind more than the piano man.

I was working the 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. shift with a paramedic named Brett. He was a damn good medic and the two of us always had fun working together. We ran our calls and tried out new restaurants in the city, watched goofy T.V. shows and just generally had a good time. I genuinely liked working with Brett.

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  • Avatar
    Wilson G

    Thanks for writing it.

  • Avatar
    Joseph LaFave

    Well said Wilson! Thanks for reading.

  • Avatar
    Wilson G

    This is a strangely powerful story. The author is absolutely right. Things go very bad very quickly sometimes and sometimes it’s “the little things that kill”.
    Personally I’ve only ever seen such a thing once. In the year or so after it happen I reflected that in one respect the guy was lucky. What he did was dumb and lethal but at least he didn’t have to spend a lot of time thinking about it. Probably an unpleasant way to shuffle off this mortal coil but still kinda quick. It was his family that got the short end of the stick, always wondering why someone would do something so freakin’ stupid and so obviously dangerous.