Pickup sent to drive away dead man not appreciated

A few weeks ago, our dear friend found his father deceased in bed.

After regaining some composure, he dialed 911, and they sent an ambulance.

EMS arrived, and the staff was very professional and offered their condolences. EMS informed our friend that it would cost $1,000 for them to take his father to the hospital to be pronounced, which, in turn, would create a hospital charge.

There was no way our friend could afford the EMS charge, so EMS suggested calling the Rescue Squad.

When the Rescue Squad came, they showed up in a pickup with a camper shell over the bed that was all windows. If you were to pull up beside them at a red light, you could see the body in the bed.

Can you imagine the horror our friend felt? He was already upset and in shock, let alone having his father disgraced.

Our friend declined their services and was ready to put his father in the front seat of his own truck to drive him to the hospital.

What happened to the vehicles the Rescue Squad used to use when they had a drowning victim?

Was it that the personnel didn’t think and just jumped in the first vehicle they came to?

Come on, now, show some respect for the dead. Whether they are rich or poor, each should be treated equally.

Have budget cuts and raising rates come to this? Or is it whoever has the biggest stick making the call?

Our county officials need a new game plan and quick because the message being sent is “If you’re poor, this is the best we can do.”

Not everyone is as fortunate as our elected officials. Where’s the compassion for our fellow man or woman?

We still pull over and show our respect for a stranger when we meet a funeral procession, so why not when dispatched?

What happens if they find you on the side of the road dead? Do they call the game warden?

In the end, our friend called Butch Evans, a longtime friend of the family, and he in turn made a call and was able to come to the home in a hearse to pick up our friend’s father.

Thank you, Butch.

So the moral of this story is: Don’t die at home, or they’ll send a pickup to get you.

We’re ashamed of our system,

Pam Cherry and Cindy Golliher
Rockwood