Off-Duty Doctor Follows Bloody Footprints in Mall. Finds 2 Teens, Saves Them from Death
It takes a special set of skills to be a doctor. Not everyone is cut out for the difficult work.
If you get faint at the sight of blood, you’re probably not a great candidate. You have to think quickly, go through years and years of training, and have a desire to help people.
I’ve always thought that becoming a doctor or nurse is one of the most useful jobs on the planet. It’s one of the few careers that can be used anywhere.
Wherever people need medical assistance, medical assistants are needed. And that’s pretty much everywhere.
One young doctor in training recently ran across a situation that he was uniquely suited for. He wasn’t the first one on the scene or the only person ready to help, but he was the only one with the knowledge and training to effectively help out in a potentially deadly situation.
Junior doctor Yasin Fatine was at the mall during his down time. He wasn’t on-duty, and was probably enjoying his time off before he had to put in another grueling shift.
Having finished his time strolling on that otherwise-normal Sunday, he saw something unusual as he walked back to his car.
A policeman lit out of a nearby restaurant. That was the first oddity.
The second was more compelling. Dr. Fatine saw a trail of bloody footprints, and instantly knew what he had to do.
“That’s when I thought, “great, I might need to help out,'” he later said. Probably not how he’d been planning on spending his afternoon, but definitely a worthy cause.
As he followed the trail, he saw a group gathering ahead of him. The footprints led right up to the area, and three more officers had joined the first one as they huddled around two 17-year-olds.
Metro reported that the two teens were “bleeding heavily from serious wounds,” which had been why such a terrifyingly clear trail had been left behind.
The two young men sported different wounds: one on his arm, the other right above his knee. Fatine quickly assessed the situation and determined that the boy with the cut in his knee was in more need of attention.
While others cared for the boy with the arm gash, Fatine took the other boy’s belt and made a tourniquet from it, stemming the flow of blood. A haphazard bandage had already been applied, but it was ineffective and the teenager was losing so much blood that he was growing faint.
Once paramedics arrived and took over the situation, Fatine was free. But if he had not acted quickly and been able to oversee the operation, at least one of the boys would have been in serious danger of dying.
How they received the wounds in the first place is a little unclear, but it would appear that neither party is completely innocent. One is under arrest and the other has been charged with violent disorder.
Dr. Fatine checked on one boy the next day, but had some frustrated words regarding the incident: “I’m glad they’re doing well. But things could have gone wrong very quickly, and people need to be more aware of the consequences of their actions.”
The detective handling the case, Inspector Jackie Dadd, shared the good doctor’s sentiments and then some. “This was a really disturbing incident and it has obviously had an impact on those shopping at the time,” he said, “however we don’t believe this was random attack. Such behaviour is unacceptable and we are committed to bringing those responsible to justice.”
Despite the allegations, this doctor was in the right place at the right time, with the willingness to intervene. He took a terrible situation and ensured that those who were suffering would have another chance at life. Thank you, Dr. Fatine!
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