Paramedic tried to swipe Rolex!!!

[Rolexitis]

I'm a former law enforcement officer and have more stories to tell than time will allow, but this one chaps me now that I am a Rolex owner. There was an incident close to my hometown where a man was involved in an automobile accident and was unconcious. When the paramedics loaded him into the ambulance, one of them noticed his Rollie and decided to remove it and tell the guy that it must have been lost in the accident when he awoke. The problem was that he awoke and had enoug wit to realize that his watch was not on his wrist. When he said "where's my watch", the paramedic slowly pulled it from his front pocket and said, "oh I was holding it for you until you awoke or a family member arrived". Yeah Bloody right!! what a thief Hope this never happens to any of us. I think I remember the paramedic not being looked at too hard because it was such a questionable manner in which it all happened.

[kcmo]

That makes me sick!

[dsimon9]

I live in the Denver area. One of the local hospitals here has been in hot water due to personal items disappearing from patients arriving in the emergency room. The problem was serious enough to make the local news. The hospital has now agreed to place these items in lockers for safe keeping and documenting the items saved.

Kind of a sad state when people are stealing from you when you are down and out.

Dex

[Mort]

I got one that will top that. A couple of weeks ago here in Atlanta, a woman was killed in a car accident and they could not reveive her in the emergency room.

The social worker told her husband that her items were in safe keeping along with her other belongings. When he got her stuff back, both her engagement ring and wedding ring were missing.

The husband was beside himself. not only was he dealing with the loss of his wife, her 2 rings she had designed and had custom made were missing and the hospital could not account for it.

The husband's boss put up a reward for $20,000 for the return of the rings. The hospital ended up going through surveillance tapes and saw the social worker with the belongings right after her death.

This scumbag stole her wedding rings and pawned them to a local pawn shop. It also turned out he had taken some other pieces from some other poor soul as well.

Finaily the husband got his wifes rings back so he can pass them down to their kids she left behind.

I hope they fry this a..hole. Some people are just creeps.

[tutone]

I hope there's a special jewelry store in hell for these sort of people.

[colemanitis]

Crazy stuff! There's a lot of crooks out there. Very sad.

[GMTII Owner]

Disgusting.

[roadcarver]

Thief! No morals. I'm sure he didn't stop there either... he probably steals from the departed as well.

[SPACE-DWELLER]

What a horrible person!

[SSD]

Dirtbag.

[seantk]

Really sad and unfortunate

Sean

[SlowKarter]

My brother-in-law had his Rolex taken from him at the time of his fatal accident, by someone who worked for him.

This was in a 3rd world country.

[karmatp]

One of the things I have learned in life is to not pass judgement to soon and to give people the benefit of the dought until proven otherwise. I work for a large municipal city fire dept. and we have 2 advanced life support paramedics and two basic life support emt's on our engines and ladders, I am one of the medics on my engine. I can tell you right now that I have taken off peoples watches and bracelets looking for a IV site. I have never put one into my pocket, usually a purse or in their pocket but maybe the guy got a little worked up, who knows the scenario of the call. Lets not pass judgement to soon, it tends to make people look like a @ss, and you would be surprised how often these quick judgements are incorrect. The fact is that were I live, fire dept. personal make probably 2 to 3 times what the general public thinks, we are extremely well compensated or our time, which in return makes stealing a few thousand dollar watch a pretty stupid thing to do. The moral of the story is: give people the benefit of the dought until you have proof that they did wrong. Don't let you personal stereotypes influence your judgement and don't believe everything you read.

[oneillba]

At times like these, I prefer to think that a higher power will mete out punishment at the time of reckoning for these kind of individuals.

[Obsessed]

What really galls me is that, in all of the examples given, the thieves were people who entered professions which are dedicated to helping others.
As far as people "stealing from you when you are down and out"--criminals always target those whom they perceive as weaker, but it is particularly sickening when the criminals are trained members of health care professions.
That is truly the lowest.

[GoldenBear]

Ever heard of innocent until proven guilty?...there is no guarantee he was going to steal it. Just like when a cop that comes on a crime scene...was your first thought to steal stuff before your back-up got there? EMT work is so difficult, I doubt stealing a watch is the payoff...

[Obsessed]

Karmatp--I'm glad to know that there could have been a legitimate reason for the paramedic to have removed the watch.
Still, I am sickened by the other incidents.

[Prince]

Originally Posted by tutone

I hope there's a special jewelry store in hell for these sort of people.

Yeah! One that only sells RADOs...

[tutone]

Originally Posted by karmatp

One of the things I have learned in life is to not pass judgement to soon and to give people the benefit of the dought until proven otherwise. I work for a large municipal city fire dept. and we have 2 advanced life support paramedics and two basic life support emt's on our engines and ladders, I am one of the medics on my engine. I can tell you right now that I have taken off peoples watches and bracelets looking for a IV site. I have never put one into my pocket, usually a purse or in their pocket but maybe the guy got a little worked up, who knows the scenario of the call. Lets not pass judgement to soon, it tends to make people look like a @ss, and you would be surprised how often these quick judgements are incorrect. The fact is that were I live, fire dept. personal make probably 2 to 3 times what the general public thinks, we are extremely well compensated or our time, which in return makes stealing a few thousand dollar watch a pretty stupid thing to do. The moral of the story is: give people the benefit of the dought until you have proof that they did wrong. Don't let you personal stereotypes influence your judgement and don't believe everything you read.

Agreed Trevor, but you have to admit that the hospital social worker was guilty. The only EMT I personally recall doing stuff like that turned out to have a meth addiction, and that started so he could work double shifts. Quite sad.

[Ken Cox]

I have flown EMS helicopter for 24 going on 25 years.

My nurses regularly put the patient's valuables in their own pockets for safe keeping, and I've never heard a complaint from a patient or his/her family.
However, the nurse also announces the inventory as he/she puts it in his/her pocket so that everyone involved in the event knows about it.

That said, a former boss, and a law enforcement officer at the time, had his gold Rolex stolen from him by someone involved in extricating him from his automobile, following a near-fatal accident.
He remembers the person taking the watch off of his wrist and that the person wore a uniform.

[f16570]

Innocent until proven otherwise. Most people are honourable IMO

[Magik]

Hearing these stories is so sad. I feel sorry for people who have to stoop so low. Those kinds of people will probably never earn a Rolex due to their poor integrity which probably leads to low work ethics. If they do get a Rolex, they will never know it's true intrinsic value which is different from it's monetary value.

[1MAC]

I was helping take care of a fine young gentleman who had received an unfortunate gunshot wound, when his wallet fell on the floor on my side of the patient. No one saw it but me, I picked it up and handed it to the clerk and she counted $13000 in cash. Never did figure out where he got that much cash.

[karmatp]

Originally Posted by tutone

Agreed Trevor, but you have to admit that the hospital social worker was guilty. The only EMT I personally recall doing stuff like that turned out to have a meth addiction, and that started so he could work double shifts. Quite sad.

Oh yea, the social worker should get the chair. I was just referring to the initial post.

[catman]

About 4 years ago I stopped wearing my Datejust TT that I've worn since new in 1982 when riding the Harley, so I had to have a time peice and picked up a nice 1985 or so Tudor PrinceDate for the this very reason, it's the beater and I wear it most of the time. I've heard of this happening with EMT's, and if I go I want the the wife to have a Rolex on both arms when I'm gone...

[karmatp]

Originally Posted by catman

About 4 years ago I stopped wearing my Datejust TT that I've worn since new in 1982 when riding the Harley, so I had to have a time peice and picked up a nice 1985 or so Tudor PrinceDate for the this very reason, it's the beater and I wear it most of the time. I've heard of this happening with EMT's, and if I go I want the the wife to have a Rolex on both arms when I'm gone...

I truly hope your kidding, if not....I don't even know wear to begin. Your riding a donor bike right, you might as well donate you watch with your organs...

[Lisa]

Originally Posted by 1MAC

I was helping take care of a fine young gentleman who had received an unfortunate gunshot wound, when his wallet fell on the floor on my side of the patient. No one saw it but me, I picked it up and handed it to the clerk and she counted $13000 in cash. Never did figure out where he got that much cash.

Um, Mike, are you just being funny or was this probably a fine young drug dealer?

[Lisa]

Trevor, we had a similar thread way back when we both had first joined the forums. I know a subject like this gets you riled, and rightly so because you are one of the good guys, and most people in your position are the heros we admire.

Still, this kind of despicable behavior does happen. Just Friday an anesthesia doc in OKC made the news because he was stealing drugs from the hospital pharmacy, re-using IV tubing, and doing cases while impaired. And recall a few years back on OBGYN doc here bludgeoned his wife to death? There are scumbags on every level and no profession is protected from them. It's just more shocking and outrageous when we hear of stuff like this from people who are in the business of helping those who are most vulnerable.

[catman]

Originally Posted by karmatp

I truly hope your kidding, if not....I don't even know wear to begin. Your riding a donor bike right, you might as well donate you watch with your organs...

Yes It does happen...we have had lots of jewelry come up missing on dead & unconscious bodies from accidents. They are out there, you sir and it has been said are NOT one of them. My apologies.. even in the med field there's good and the bad. I hope you understand...

[1MAC]

Originally Posted by Lisa

Um, Mike, are you just being funny or was this probably a fine young drug dealer?

Yes, and yes.