Guy dies right in front of me =0(

[TechJunkie]

Took the weekend with my girlfriend to go antique browsing. In back of one of the antique shops there was a little building with a sign saying they were having an auction that day, so we decided to check it out, It was the first auction my girlfriend has been to. We get there, and about a third way through a guy sitting a couple of seats in front of us nods off. A short time after someone sees his face is really red. So she goes up to him to check him, and the guys not breathing. They bring him to the ground, and a nurse that happened to be there gives him CPR. 2 ambulances, and the coroner later we found the guy had died sitting in his chair.

The messed thing was they continued the auction like nothing happened. People were even laughing, and acting like nothing happened.

I dont know, is it me, or was that in bad taste? The ground the guy was laying on wasn't even cold yet, and they are selling off $3 items. I paid my bill and left.

Keep in mind this was a small, old junk auction. Something they could have easily postponed.

[Stiffler]

Just be glad they didn't start auctioning the dead guys belongings!!

[buffo]

Some people use laughter to defuse tension in a stressful situation.

I've been a volunteer EMT for over 20 years. I've seen several DOA's. Everyone reacts differently to a death. Some people are very calm, some are agitated and upset, some laugh, and some cry. It's just weird.

I seriously doubt that the people who were laughing were intentionally trying to be cruel. It's far more likely that they just didn't know how to process the fact that someone just died in front of them, so they resorted to humor to try to deflect the otherwise painful thoughts that would come up. It's a lot more common than you might think.

I do agree that it would have been better if they had halted the auction until the medics and the coroner were finished though. It seems odd that they would continue selling things while EMT's were performing CPR in the background.

Sorry you had to see that happen. It's definitely something you will remember for a long time.

Adam

[Photonbeam]

Maybe the guy died doing something he loved - attending antique auctions. There are worse ways to go.

[TechJunkie]

Some people use laughter to defuse tension in a stressful situation.

I've been a volunteer EMT for over 20 years. I've seen several DOA's. Everyone reacts differently to a death. Some people are very calm, some are agitated and upset, some laugh, and some cry. It's just weird.

I seriously doubt that the people who were laughing were intentionally trying to be cruel. It's far more likely that they just didn't know how to process the fact that someone just died in front of them, so they resorted to humor to try to deflect the otherwise painful thoughts that would come up. It's a lot more common than you might think.

I do agree that it would have been better if they had halted the auction until the medics and the coroner were finished though. It seems odd that they would continue selling things while EMT's were performing CPR in the background.

Sorry you had to see that happen. It's definitely something you will remember for a long time.

Adam

My girlfriend said the same thing. It didnt really bother me either way, I just didnt like to hear laughter while the guy was being worked on.

They did start the auction after he was gone. About 3 minutes later. Sorry I was not clear. I still found it in bad taste.

Maybe the guy died doing something he loved - attending antique auctions. There are worse ways to go.

I agree completely. He did die doing what he loved, and he didnt die suffering in a hospital bed. Not a bad way to go IMO.

[JohnYayas]

My girlfriend said the same thing. It didnt really bother me either way, I just didnt like to hear laughter while the guy was being worked on.

They did start the auction after he was gone. About 3 minutes later. Sorry I was not clear. I still found it in bad taste.



I agree completely. He did die doing what he loved, and he didnt die suffering in a hospital bed. Not a bad way to go IMO.

I remember not too long ago a referee had a heart attack during a college football game. They stopped it long enough to do what they had to take care of him and get him off the field and then the game continued. Should they have canceled the game?

[mixedgas]

Old School, the school that works, would be to show reverence, take care of the man's wife and family, say a prayer, show respect, and cancel the auction, or at least hold off till the family and friends were clear.

Steve

[buffo]

Gary;

That's a good question. On the one hand, it seems that it would be respectful to cancel the game. On the other hand, while it's tragic that he died, cancelling the game just makes everything worse for the rest of the people there.

And to borrow from Larry Niven, on the gripping hand is the fundamental question of why we need to pay respect in the first place. If the person is dead, he certainly can't benefit from any post-humus efforts to respect him, and unless his family was present at the game (unlikely, since he was a ref and thus probably worked many games all over the place) they wouldn't be affected one way or the other.

Example: if a person dies at a factory, they don't shut down the factory. (Though they may stop work long enough to care for the person, at least until it's clear that they're beyond all hope.)

I do agree that it's a shit sandwich no matter how you slice it though.

Adam

[TechJunkie]

I remember not too long ago a referee had a heart attack during a college football game. They stopped it long enough to do what they had to take care of him and get him off the field and then the game continued. Should they have canceled the game?

I've thought of this too. I would understand if this was a well advertised event, with boatloads of people going to it, and a huge amount of money on the line. I dont agree with it, but I know business is business with the big dogs. But, like I said, this was a tiny nickle and dime auction. They could have easily postponed it to the next weekend. The junk wasnt going anywhere. A lot of people there knew the guy too. I felt it was disrespectful to continue just to squeeze out of few more dollars from the people that stayed. Its just my opinion.

[Galvonaut]

Let 'em be. If you find it disrespectful, then you can leave

Many businesses need the income, particularly nickle and dime ones.

Keith