Woman claims bus driver refused to help man in distress, TransLink investigating
Posted July 10, 2018 9:40 pm.
Last Updated July 10, 2018 9:42 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – A woman’s persistence may be to thank for saving a man’s life in Vancouver.
Robyn, who did not want to share her last name, shared her frustration online after claiming a bus driver refused to get help for an unconscious man laying at the bus shelter of one of his stops.
Her post says she was riding the #16 bus heading east on Hastings Street when the bus pulled over at one of the stops. When she looked out the window she noticed a man who was visibly in distress.
She says the man was alone and was not moving so she alerted the driver but she says her concerns were not well received by the driver.
“I was kind of shocked because he seemed irritated by me, like this was a big inconvenience to him,” Robyn says. “He sort of let out a big sigh and kind of asked or indicated what did I wanted him to do about it basically.”
She says after a big sigh the driver stood up and told the rest of the passengers they were going to be there for a while. But after about a minute, she says the driver told a passenger they would remain there until someone called 911, noting he wouldn’t do it.
“He turned to me, “since you’re the one concerned about him you can get off the bus and do it,” read Robyn’s post.
“I was kind of shocked because he seemed irritated by me,” Robyn says. “Like this was a big inconvenience to him.”
After not seeing any action taken, Robyn got off the bus and says she called 911 herself.
“There was someone there with a kit within minutes. Someone was there and able to do CPR and help with oxygen and by the time the ambulance showed up the guys was breathing again, he was conscious.”
She hopes others will not stand idly by if they see something similar happen.
In a statement, TransLink says it’s investigating the matter and that it’s the company’s policy to make sure people in medical distress on or near the system get help.
We thank this customer for bringing this to our attention. We take matters like this very seriously,” reads the statement.
Robyn finished her post by noting the story could’ve ended very differently.
