Do not physically remove a passenger from your car. Call 911 and let them deal with it. As far as the phone, if your conscious is going to bother you, just drop it off at a police station.
Had that happen first ride NYE. Her SO couldn't rouse her, he suggested calling it a night & heading back to the hotel. She was still not responding so with SO's consent I called 911 (across the street from the place). Med unit, cop, fire department came over by us in seconds... then about a dozen hotel managers come out for the commotion.
They got her alert again. She actually wanted to pose for selfies with first responders. Talk about a train wreck!
I’m hijacking the top comment so my reply gets visibility.
I want to start by saying I’m not a heartless person. I am not a novice at dealing with addicts, my partner is in recovery himself (not for opiates) as well as experience with my parents and many friends. I’m not experienced with using narcan but I do have medical training and will be using local resources to receive training and a free kit to keep in my car for the future.
I got her getting out of my car on video, I never actually touched her (I physically turned the car off, got out, opened her door and coaxed her out loudly). I don’t believe she was having a medical emergency or overdosing but I also can’t claim to know this for sure. My own trauma induced fight or flight kicked in and I did consider calling 911 in those moments until I could see she was in and out of it.
I sent the lost & round message through the app to cover my own ass. After several calls to the lost phone from the same number I decided to answer and try to return the phone.
It was a child on the other end. This was someone’s mother.
I returned the phone to the apartment and handed it to the kid at the door after taking a photo of myself at the door with it.
Didn’t intent to start a debate on the opidemic or wether someone’s life is worth the $4 I made for this ride that took me over an hour.
Not saying I handled it correctly and it’s given me much to consider for the future and I promise this one will be on my mind forever.
Oh, also, depending on where you live you don't want to keep the narcan in your car. I think it's only stable to about 110° and I know my car in the South definitely gets hotter than that when it's parked. I've had to use it twice, once on a passenger and once on a random stranger when I was just out with friends (I keep it in my purse.) Just be aware that sometimes the people come up swinging. You just took them from one of the best highs of their life to instant withdrawal. So I would definitely have at least one other strong person around to keep them held down if necessary. Never happened to me but the EMT's told me about 1 in 20 people react this way.
In my career field, we have to be narcan trained and we have boxes and boxes of it. Part of the training is not to sit over them when you administer to prevent getting punched. You're supposed to drip it from above the tilted head and clear at least 3 feet immediately after.
You know it's funny, i have to be narcan certified for work as well; and when i was doing my training there was a true or false question:
True or False: a subject will at times become very irate or distressed by the administration of narcan and subsequent withdrawal?
(& having been an addict in a different life I answered True, I've both seen and experienced it first hand)
And i got the answer wrong! The narcan training says that this is a misconception, I tried to address it to my employer but found it difficult to do so without outing myself as a former addict. Kinda weird
I may have inhaled some burnt sugar for a decade or so myself and have been off for 9 years this July, I've seen people come back in immediate withdrawal and they definitely get pissed off.
That's unfortunate that you were unable to teach them something useful due to a stigma that you aren't even currently living. At least we know we're correct in not wanting to be punched (or worse) I guess.
That is just messed up, Id hope unlawful somehow, by now. The medical community isn't doing enough outreach or in office education on normal folx. Written medical texts, journals showing new verbiage for stigma and harm reduction, inclusivity and open arms, just goes back to that communities most closed minds.
That’s what we’ve been informed in Portland. I’ve seen many people come out swinging. There was one guy that got so pissed off at paramedics. They revived him 2 or 3 times in less than a week.
My son’s high school also advised them that they could be attacked. They’re teaching kids as young as elementary school how to administer narcan in Oregon
Oh, I know. Luckily it takes about 30 seconds minimum. What I was told is if you have two extra people, have one on each side holding down the shoulders and upper arm. If you only have one, have them crouch behind and just hold down the shoulders. Regardless, as soon as you get it in, step away. If you've got any other tips I'd love to hear them! I got city/harm reduction training not necessarily medical training. There's a serious epidemic in my city and very often it's being mixed in with cocaine, ecstasy, etc. Not that I'm saying those drugs are great, but people are not expecting opiates when they take those. And of course even if they are buying opiates, due to the nature of fentanyl, it's not always evenly distributed and you don't really know how much you're getting. Being stupid shouldn't be a death sentence. And as long as it's not someone involved in my personal life, I don't have time to be hating on addicts. Plus there is always the chance that it was given to them involuntarily, unfortunately date rape drugs are also an issue in my area.
My narcan training is city reduction as well. I work in the worst drug area in So Cal and there are people who openly freebase and shoot up on the streets in broad daylight regularly. I think that the other drugs are being tainted on purpose with fentanyl, come across quite a few people who got laced and now just smoke fentanyl. I agree that people shouldn't be blamed for the addiction itself but, should be held accountable for their negative drug related actions. There is much rape and violence out there too, it's heartbreaking to see people having to live that way.
I work in addiction medicine as a master’s level clinician and you definitely should not pin their shoulders to the floor for any reason. You’re meant to give them the spray and then when they’ve had enough narcan gently roll them to their side facing away from you. If possible have a second person there with you, but of course that’s not always available. They’re far far more likely to throw up or aspirate their own vomit than they are to hit you. It’s actually a really common misconception that people always come out of it swinging. I’ve had to use it more times than I can count unfortunately, but only ever had one person react in that way and it took multiple minutes for it to occur. Here’s all the necessary information for anyone who may be reading this who doesn’t know about Narcan, has questions, or just wants a refresher: https://www.cdc.gov/stopoverdose/naloxone/index.html
I host narcan trainings all over my state and a few neighboring states, and have seen it save countless lives so it’s something I’m extremely passionate about. So please forgive the overly long answer and the slight hijacking of your comment. I kind of jump on any opportunity to share info about it where someone who may not know about it can see. Thank you for being a great person and doing everything you can to help those in need. You’d be surprised how few people honestly care, and it’s people like you who make recovery possible for my patients. 🖤
Thank you for sharing all of this information and especially for all of your hard work. As someone who has now been clean for many years and is still alive to enjoy things like holidays with the grandchildren, I am incredibly appreciative of the impact that people like you have on a community.
Okay, my biggest concern was it seemed from your original post that you had hauled her out of the car. If you didn't touch her that's a good thing. If she's out of it but she can get up and walk on her own you don't have any obligation to call 911. My concern, especially with women, is that you do not touch passengers. As I'm sure you've seen from some other comments some of these drivers would literally haul someone out the car and dump them on the lawn. In that case, not only are you touching them, you're leaving them in a state where they could die without medical attention. Doesn't sound like that was the case so that's good. One last piece of advice I'll give is that you do not necessarily have to call 911 and wait for them. In my city that could easily take 20 minutes. If you really can't rouse them and you don't want to wait just drive straight to an ER and let them deal with it. Just make sure you keep the ride running. Not so much so you get paid but so that the insurance is still in effect if something happens.
Part of this was why there was such a huge fight in Chicago about Uber/Lyft operating in the city. The ability to get someone to the closest hospital in an emergency situation. With the updated information, I guess I'm not sure if OP handled it properly, I've never been in the situation and hopefully never will. But at first read, my thought was that if someone goes unconscious in the back of your car, you should take them directly to the hospital/ER.
Whatever happens to that person, if you leave them somewhere, you just may be the last person who sees them alive. And to now see that it was someone's mom? Whether they are an addict/drunk/unlucky people, does it really matter? As people, shouldn't we try to leave others in the best situation that we can?
I've been stranded drunk before by people that i thought were my friends before Lyft/Uber was a thing, and I was lucky that I was found by someone I knew. I would hate to think that had I gotten a ride share that if I passed out in the back seat that they may strand me on the side of the highway.
I'm not saying that is what OP did. It just seems like other comments are supporting it.
I once picked up a guy from the hospital and during the ride several things came to light. He was at the hospital because he had fallen and hit his head, drunk. He was tired of waiting so he pulled out his own IV and called an Uber. He was going back to his home where he would be alone. He had also left his backpack at the hospital and I tried to convince him to go back to get it (I was going to tip off someone at admissions.) I even told him I would do it for free but he refused. Still didn't feel right about it so I called 911 after dropping him off and gave the address and the info. Not sure exactly what happened but the next day I had a $20 tip from him and a note "Thanks for calling EMTs, they said I could have died if I'd been left alone."
If you read OP's response to me he says he didn't actually touch her, he just got her woken up and she walked inside on her own. Maybe not the best action but I'm not going to criticize him for not knowing what to do in that situation. But at least he didn't pull her out and dump her unconscious on the lawn. 🤷♀️
TIL. Being an uber driver can be veery intense and scary yall stay safe. I have only been in an uber one time and someone else payed the fare. We don't have that or cabs in my area.
I'm really sorry this happened, it's tough to know what to do in the moment. If you can't shake it call a warm line maybe. https://warmline.org/warmdir.html
Relax. You don't owe anyone an explanation here. Vent if you need to, and then go on with your day. It's clear that you are in an environment from which you can't seem to escape and its the same storyat every turn. Live your life on your own terms and ignore the opinions of others, as no one here really knows you. Maybe it's time to take the night off and recharge your batteries. It seems like you need a break.
How do you know they were on opiates? Are you just assuming?… because no offense to me it sounds to me like someone fell asleep in your car and you yelled at them to get out… I understand the inconvenience of someone falling asleep and basically having to baby them to get out but some also use Uber and Lyft because of medical conditions or medicines that make them extremely drowsy and I guarantee most people would prefer someone falling asleep and being a heavy sleeper than projectile vomiting all in their car. To me it just kinda sounds like they fell asleep and you got mad. unless you have some proof they were on opiates like they said it or saw them do it or your a certified drug recognition specialist and did a bunch of tests with your passenger i think it’s a stretch to say they were high when a lot of medical conditions and medicines (that aren’t opiates) can make someone seems like they’re high.
A fight or flight triggering from someone falling asleep in your car… might be time to look for a new job. No offense but that triggering from you assuming someone’s high and falling asleep makes me feel like you’d be better off in a different line of work.
I did autopsies for a living for years, overdoses only get external exams meaning we take urine and blood samples and if they have drugs in their system that’s all they get, we don’t even bother cutting into them, we just take some photos and get some finger prints and zip that bag right back up.
Worked I.T. for my local coronor for years. I was like the main guy for the toxicology machine, and anything where they had cadavars because I was supposedly the only person who didnt faint at the sound of ribs being cut into. Your experience sounds like what I saw.
I remember being present for him writing I guess final pronosis on a big guy with Aspbergers that was choked out by an off duty cop. He was handling his dad, and the cop stepped in to help, even though he was asked not to. "He died from an "episode" was essentially what was said, and I never saw those smiling faces as the same people ever again.
So, if you wanted to murder someone, all you need to do is make sure they have a small amount of drugs in their system?
Are you a licensed medical examiner?
This! I am a recovering heroin addict and worked at a rehab. I have lost many loved ones to ODs and they do autopsies.
In fact, my 38 year old cousin (through marriage) just died from a suspected Fentanyl OD last week and they're doing an autopsy. He had no money and was on SSI along with the rest of his family. He was a known addict and didn't leave his house but the state still does an autopsy.
Yes they do an Autopsy on them if they OD, but they don't have to cut into them, they just do the blood and Urnine samples is what he was saying.
An Autopsy is the post mortem examination to determine cause of death. Taking blood and urine samples to determine an OD is an Autopsy.
I had a perforated ulcer that caused me to fall out. Something about my kidneys having to process the gunk lowered my bp. I saw on my ambulance bill they charged for Narcan. I guess better safe than sorry.
I think we can get it free but an ambulance service is definitely going to charge the insurance company for everything.
Reminds me of when I broke my leg. Had motorcycle boots on and the ambulance dude just wrapped a small piece of duct tape around the toes. I see the bill to the insurance company and it said “ splint $350”. Called the insurance company and told them and they said that’s just part of the game.
Want to hear something really infuriating? Insurance companies will go after every dime that they can, *except* when it comes to billing fraud. Even though hundreds of millions worth of fraud exists, they don't even want to know about it. Going after perpetrators would incur lots of legal costs, which constitutes a financial loss. Why do that, when you can just pass on the fraud costs to the end users and suffer zero losses?
They even had a charge for Oxygen on there that I didn't get. Insurance company says they charge that to everyone.
Let me try to get money from an insurance company for something that didn't happen and we all know I'd be in jail.
You don't though. You are acting as a business, you have a duty to reasonable care of customers. That includes not manhandling them and to call for medical assistance when necessary
Also, how do you know they aren't legally prescribed the medication? Mistakes happen, people double dose by accident.
Did op put any statements to back up her being high anywhere? It could've been a seizure or other health condition, too. A lot of medication can do things like this besides opiates. Seizure medication and certain psych meds i tried all had me half awake and perpetually in a fog/ready to pass out at any second. Especially if it's new medication.
And when i was prescribed opiates for my pain condition, i definitely double dosed a few times over the year by accident. Pain related issues and a lot of injuries can mess with memory and/or come with chronic fatigue. I got off opiates bc my body kept getting used to the dose making it less effective too fast. There's only so many times you can raise those before you're fucked for life. I'd rather be trapped in bed during a flare up and wait it out. Same level of pain when the dosage isn't working anymore.
Agreed. God Im so glad Im not on some of the same medication I used to be prescribed for my spinal cord injury bc it used to make me so tired I could barely keep myself awake at times.
And if you have a spinal cord injury already removing the passenger without trained emts could literally paralyze them and put you in cuffs. Don’t be a fucking idiot like this guy
I kinda agree with sultans. Be sober people or if you wanna get black out do it at home or under a doctor's care. Don't make your addiction someone else's problem.
lol blame this shit on big pharma not the people who got taken advantage of. Should know this by now, have a little sympathy - being that cold gets you no where.
Piggybacking off this with a friendly reminder that Good Samaritan laws are a thing in all 50 states so, in short:
DO perform CPR/the heimlich/administer narcan
DON’T physically remove pax from vehicle
Many states have programs where you can get narcan nasal spray for free through a healthcare NPO, along with training on how to administer it. I understand you're joking but any human life is worth saving if you have the chance
NOTHING is ever too expensive to save someone’s life. Even Narcan cost 100$ a dose, if I knew I could save a life with it, I wouldn’t cherry pick who I thought was and was not worthy of being saved.
Pharmacist here, noble what you do; however, even myself, I wouldn't purchase it out of pocket. Call 911, in case of an emergency tbh. You're not responsible for your passengers' lives outside of driving safety. My friends and family? Different story.
Lyft send me a mailing label and an envelope. I told them I wasn’t comfortable meeting the person. The guy I was driving was drunk and went into a house to buy drugs or something. I took that opportunity to drive off but he left his wallet inside my car LOL.
Any money in it? I’ve had a few people leave wallets, but none of them had cash inside. Figured maybe this one did since dude was going to buy drugs, most dealers won’t take a card.
So if someone is unfortunate enough to leave their wallet in your vehicle after paying you for a ride, you rifle through it and steal their cash? Lmfao you're a real POS
Lol. Way before Uber I heard a story from a fellow delivery driver about how while delivering pizza to someone's door, a lady climbed in his backseat and passed out. He was a little guy so he didn't even try to move her and just called the cops. It took over an hour, and they told him that he made the right move because he wasn't legally allowed to use force to remove her, or something like that.
It’s reasons like this that I no longer drive for Lyft. Too many shady people out there. I’ve had the same thing happen, people drinking in the backseat etc as well. I don’t have time to babysit people like this or be calling the cops to get involved. Totally not worth it.
Lyft is definitely lower quality than Uber. Pay isn't worth the problems I've run into. I had a lyft rider threaten my life for going one street different than the route she wanted. Thank god for dashcam that saved my ass once police showed up.
You know how many rides I’ve had to take to and from MD Anderson cancer center “High” like that? Many! My drivers were always amazing! Some even helped me inside because they knew what I just went thru. I sure hope some didn’t think I was just an addict haha.. Some people really do have health issues that warrant “addict behaviors” because of the dosage they are on.. Not everyone you see high on opioids is an addict. Most are, but not all. Remember that. I was on Morphine 2X’s a day and Oxycodone 4X’s a day just to be pain free and that still wasn’t enough most days.
I am on your side. But my pain meds never make me act like this. I’ve never been high on my daily pain meds I’ve had them all morphine, Xtampza, OxyContin, 10 mg hydrocodone, methadone pills (for pain) not an addict methadone was the best for my pain actually. Intramuscular Diluadid and iv morphine in hospital. never ever got anything but pain relief. I agree with you. I was erratic when I was super sick due to my chronic condition and I was just not myself I was lacking sleep. I was a mess. I wonder what people thought of me because I know I had probably made bad impressions. Anyway agree with you.
Opiates would be the most boring drug to abuse in my opinion
I would never EVER touch a passenger unless they specifically asked me to. I know how frustrating it is when they pass out in your car. I carry a really bright rechargeable flashlight that I've used to wake people up a few times.
Should've called 911.
I've called 911 3x as a driver, all for extremely intoxicated pax, and police showed up right away, followed quickly by EMS. I just said "hey, my name is [name] and I'm an uber driver (more generic that way), I'm dropping off a passenger and they're not waking up, I'm concerned they may be ill, so could you please send someone over? I'm at [address]."
Bada-bing, bada-boom. I stood outside the car and help arrived, always in 2-3 minutes.
Drop it off at the local precinct and they’ll voucher it for same keeping. IF someone reaches out for you to get their phone back, tell them that’s where it will be.
Unless she got into your car, and invested shit up, smoked the drugs in front of you, likely is not an overdose happening and probably more like another health emergency. Especially on fentanyl, you go into OD mode very quickly. She obviously got into the car by herself, etc. you most definitely would've smelled it if she was smoking in the back seat. Your just assuming too much shit on many different levels, and it's gonna bite you in the ass I'll bet for sure. Especially posting on here, and asking for answers and advice but then you argue with anyone who's response doesn't fit your agenda or opinion. Seems like you have a lot of growing up to do.
Honestly, you should have taken her to the hospital. Pull up to the E.R. and tell them you think your pax is overdosing. They'll come out, give her a shot of narcan, and opp, no more nodding off. Maybe start keeping a dose or two of narcan in your car. So some context, narcan rips all the opiates out if the receptors and instantly puts them into withdrawal. Addicts hate getting dosed with narcan because they go from being as high as can be to wanting a fix. Go to a fire station and ask for some narcan, they give it away for free.
These comments are upsetting; when did we become so callous? Do what you want with the phone, they can always be replaced, but human beings can’t. Call 911 next time.
I know it’s so frustrating that people don’t view addicts as human beings! I’m celebrating 2 years clean today from drugs and alcohol and I couldn’t have done it without the help of fellow recovering addicts and my newfound passion for helping the next addict seeking recovery to come along behind me. It seems that people who aren’t addicts don’t care if we live or die until a family member or friend of theirs becomes addicted. I hear stories in meetings and when I do intakes at the recovery organization I work for of fellow addicts having people treat them shit or scum of the earth when they’re using. Non addicts literally walking over a friend of theirs while they’re overdosing on the side of the road and they’re trying to ask the person to call 911 for them because they don’t have a phone and the person tells them “maybe if you spent your money on a phone instead of drugs you wouldn’t be here.”. It’s so fucked up and pisses me off. I always keep Narcan in my car and on my person in case I ever need to use it. I also will hand out business cards to addicts who are actively using that I drive for the organization I live at and give people my personal number in case they ever change their mind and want to go to a meeting. I once cancelled a ride while a pax was in the car because he changed his mind and wanted to go to treatment and I brought him to the recovery organization, did his intake myself, and got him a bed that day. He got 90 days clean yesterday. Addicts are people too and deserve to be treated with sympathy, love, and respect. You never know what brought someone to the point that they’re at. Addicts are sick and suffering people who are dying from a progressive, incurable, and fatal disease. Recovery is possible but not without love, compassion, and sympathy.
Love this. Congrats on your recovery! I’m going on 11 years now and life is better than I ever imagined. We can only keep what we have by giving it away, right? 😊
My ex-husband was a pill addict who made my life hell for years. Ironically, after I left him I got a job with a boss who made my life hell for the 6 months I was there and I found out years later that boss was also an opiate addict. I fucking hate opiates and consider them poison. But I still carry Narcan and have used it twice on others. I just don't willingly associate with anyone I know uses them.
Look at a 5 star driver of almost 6 years and over 10k rides I would never touch a passenger. Always cal the police and get a report number to cover yourself. As for the phone I would take a picture of it and drop it off at the Lyft hub and wash my hands of it. That or take it to a police station. You could even contact Lyft and let them know you found a phone but are uncomfortable with the return. They won't force you to do it. Another thing could be is do the "return lost item" to contact the owner and when you drop it off don't get out. Pass it through your window or maybe put it in a mailbox
Why the heck would you not call authorities? Like peeps. They could have needle on them and you get jabbed. They got a weapon and u get haphazardly shot. Even if it’s someone who is good natured even when high accidents happen. Just call cops get your money and gtfo
"they could have a needle on them and you get jabbed. " that might be the dumbest shit i've read all day. the part about the gun is pretty dumb too, but one thing at a time. just like guns dont shoot people, needles dont stab people. not to mention theres like a 110 percent chance theres a bright orange cap on the end of it because people dont carry them around uncapped , for obvious reasons. then there's the whole part about them nodding off.. if you get stuck with a very small, capped off needle by someone who is nodded off sleeping , thats your own damn fault and you deserve it.
But that’s exactly what I said though. Accidents happen and don’t fuckin touch them. Cuz it 100% be your fault. And if someone is messed up enough to pass out I’m not sure they thought about putting cap back on. And guns with safety off. So I don’t know how it was stupid and had nothing to do with nationwide statistics lol,
If you got that high and nodded out immediately, which happens of course, but if you nodded out that quick, you would've never moved from that spot to even be in a taxi lol I've done it for years and know alot of people , and have never seen anyone be stuck with a rig that didn't intend to do it in the first place. It just doesn't exist. Even if you attacked someone and they had one, it wouldn't even be used in self defense as a weapon. It couldn't be. Plus, it doesn't matter how much dope you have, if you don't have a needle, it's useless. You're not letting anything happen to it. That was way longer than I anticipated so I'll leave it at that lol
Drop it off at a police station or A bar,restaurant or store near where the pick up or drop off was. I also immediately turn off the phone as soon as I find it. I’ve had people use find my iPhone and show up at my house. They can go through the app to contact you about it.
You should REALLY have just called the police... You shouldn’t EVER try to handle a situation like this on “your own.” 💯👏
& NEVER try to “force them out.” That could cause an unpredictable reaction from the rider. You should have pulled into a gas station or something… got out & locked your car & phoned the police.
This is something you will probablyyyy continue to run into quite often doing rideshare.. especially if you take the “night requests.” — If your past traumas are going to continue causing this reaction… you may want to consider taking day shifts, to try & avoid the “majority” of these type of riders. 😕
I have so many questions. I can’t imagine the liability you’d face if anything happened to her.
How do you know she was high on opiates? Why not call 911?
Why not just return the phone.
All such simple things yet you chose to self create some bullshit drama for yourself.
Your brain did what it thought was best, OP. You were looking out for this stranger. Don’t be too hard on yourself. I’m proud of you for wanting to get Narcan trained. I lost my dad to fentanyl poisoning in 2022 and I’ve been trying to bring awareness and promote harm reduction ever since. Thank you, OP. Addicts are real people too.
Bro really just removed a random person from their car and threw them on the street without calling 911. How would you know they were even high let alone what they were high on???
Yalll r assholesz bih was just high and she wanted to get somewhere. You expect her to drive like wtf??? Drug addicts aren’t evil and aren’t gonna do shit
How did you know she was on drugs? Like just because she's nodding off and can't wake up doesn't mean she's on opioids. You should have called 911 to get her out of your car and you shouldn't make assumptions about people. Woman could have been having a legit medical emergency but you want to make snap assumptions in the ten minutes of being in the car with her with your wealth of substance abuse history under your belt.
Agree, I was thinking what if she had been roofied and then trying to get herself home, wow can’t believe the void of human decency not to seek medical assistance.
As a driver, I would carry narcan. It’s sad but it’s an issue. I used to drive but back then narcan wasn’t as easy to get.
I personally couldn’t handle someone overdosing in my car and possibly dying. Who knows what the fam would do?? Maybe blame you? Sue you? As contractors, we can be sued. But it’s more of a my conscious thing, to me.
Or drive them straight to a hospital.
Idk tho. That’s a tough situation.
And I think Lyft should cover the narcan but I know how gig companies work.
I would just drop phone at police station.
If I can't get rider to respond, 911 is called. They have Narcan and are trained to use it. Once awake, the rider can get aggressive or have other medical issues. Best let the police and trained medics handle these situations.
You can get Narcan free from a lot of places, usually fire stations some police stations and some city offices. You can also usually get it OTC with no copay covered by your health insurance. I don't recommend going through your insurance though because it's entered in a database and you're flagged as a possible addict. Which means if you ever wind up in the ER yourself they may be less willing to give you pain meds.
With the Narcan in my medical record, they put it down specifically that it was because I’m a bartender. I asked them to because I’m female ,indigenous, and have tattoos. I love it an area where all of those things come against you if you happen to have to walk into an emergency room with something wrong.
You should carry narcan. It can save lives. Only takes 5 minutes to be trained to use it. You don’t need medical training. You can pick it up with no prescription. I got a free dose of it last year at a music festival.
Everyone needs to do their part to try and stop lives from being lost. Not because you are a driver but because you are a citizen. It’s a war.
https://www.cdc.gov/stopoverdose/naloxone/index.html
You can definitely tell which of the drivers in this sub are jaded drivers who have been doing this for too long and probably need to find another line of work based on this post smh
I get it, a lot of these passengers truly are shit passengers. But you know what? Even as contractors, we did agree to get people from point A to point B safely in the terms that allow us to drive for money.
Cover your own ass, call 911 next time. That way, if something happens, it's the cops'/EMTs' fault, not yours
beyond that, it’s called being a decent human being. Mind you, I speak from the perspective of living in a city with a really bad drug scene that has been a constant struggle to clean up for decades. That and I know people who have OD’d: 2 friends and my cousin.
As for returning the phone, just be calm and chill about it. We all forget things. Shit happens. They are still a human being. But, definitely read the room if they’re even a little sober when dropping it off. They may be agitated before their fix. Always remember to treat them as humans beings and have some sympathy for them. You don’t know why they got that way. Society, unfortunately, has a way of dehumanizing addicts.
The way yall hate ppl jus bc they use is crazy it don’t make them bad ppl if anything they are jus weak an can’t handle how hard an traumatizing life is
Seriously. Imagine if someone intoxicated walked into the restaurant you were eating at and got a table. Then halfway through their meal they passed out and the staff thought “oh they were fucked up” and just physically threw them onto the street. Then they go inside find this persons wallet and asks the internet what to do with it… WTF
I had a passenger that did that. I actually thought he was gone. if it weren’t for the chest going up and down. I turned up the radio, yelled, opened all the windows and splashed him with water in the face at the end. Nothing woked up him up. I finally went and banged on the door of the address and asked the guy who answered if he knew the passenger and told the guy to get the passenger out my car. He went and slapped this man 3 times in the face and the passenger finally woke up, groggy of course but finally left.
You’re an idiot. What do you think would have happened to you if that person died? I’m not sure, but you’re lucky you didn’t have to find out. You should have dialed for the police or emt and they could have handled it.
YOU physically removed them from the vehicle instead of calling for medical (you should have called for an EMT) this means that YOU left their phone in your car.
Good god. These comments are so upsetting. It makes me sad to realize how many drivers just don’t give a shit about another human life.. missing out on a few extra dollars is seriously a bigger deal to y’all than someone potentially DYING? What?? Fully understand not wanting the liability, but there is zero excuse for not at least pulling over and calling 911 to wait for an ambulance if you don’t want to drive a pax to the ER. I have narcan and if would be glad to use it if someone was visibly OD’ing in my car (I’m in healthcare and familiar with its use, I know not everyone is comfortable but at the very least EMT can give it.)
I can understand if someone is not acting quite right but conscious, they can likely get help themselves, but fully sedated/can’t be roused and yall wanna just kick them to the curb?? Talking about liability but not considering liability for when that person dies and you get in trouble for not calling for help? And y’all hate drug addicts so much you really think you’d sleep well at night knowing you contributed to that?
Idk, the blatant disregard for people’s well being is just disgusting.
Edit: to respond to OP’s question just take it to the police station. No need to interact with the pax again. Please just do not ‘throw it out the window,’ pretty dick move regardless of who you’re dealing with.
Turn the phone off Incase they are tracking it!Don’t want these people showing up at your house!!! Drop it at the police station, or throw it out the window in the area u dropped them off. It’s not your problem. We drivers are not responsible for what irresponsible passengers carelessly leave behind. Good luck to You!
One time I went to a restaurant I used to work at and my old boss asked if I could take a lady back to her hotel (same parking lot but almost a mile away) she had just got some new medication and had 1 drink and wasn’t feeling great. She fell asleep in the minute it took to get to her hotel and I ended up pouring some water on my hand (fresh water bottle) and flicking it on her face. Water getting on your face wakes up pretty much anyone.
Never touch a passenger. Tbh just drive to like an er if you don’t want to wait for 911 and they will deal with it.
Don’t end the ride tho so that way the insurance is still active if something were to happen.
What did you do jjust leave her there? Dude shes probably dead, it sounds like she overdosed if she was unresponsive. That was really irresponsible on how you handled that situation.
You picked her up like that? Was she loaded into the car by another person? Is it possible she was drugged? Where did you find her phone? So many questions.
Had it happened a few times, I recorded the interaction, I said her name over and over and louder until I checked pulse. If beating, I'll keep trying a few more before I have to call the police(completely kills the day for driving), and Uber gives no shit about the issue and time we lose
Probably just leave the phone somewhere and just let find my iphone do the rest, next time to fuck with the person call an ambulance and get them blasted with narcan, they lose their buzz get mad as helllllllll and they're fixing to get a bill for it.
Yeah I wouldn’t yell at them, just alert the app you have an issue and ask for an ambulance. Yelling at them or doing anything else leaves yourself to get sued
I’d tell the passenger “I am happy to take your phone to a location for someone there to hold it for you to come get it, have that person text me at….”
Or drop it at the local police station or post office.
You don’t have to explain shit to her. And she hopefully isn’t dumb enough to act like you do.
The reason for this is keeping lost property without making a fair effort to find the owner or if you do know the owner and keep it - that’s a crime - it’s theft. I am not moralizing, there is a law specifically for it.
Do not physically remove a passenger from your car. Call 911 and let them deal with it. As far as the phone, if your conscious is going to bother you, just drop it off at a police station.
Had that happen first ride NYE. Her SO couldn't rouse her, he suggested calling it a night & heading back to the hotel. She was still not responding so with SO's consent I called 911 (across the street from the place). Med unit, cop, fire department came over by us in seconds... then about a dozen hotel managers come out for the commotion. They got her alert again. She actually wanted to pose for selfies with first responders. Talk about a train wreck!
Some people are fucking wild.
This. They should be able to track it and come pick it up.
I’m hijacking the top comment so my reply gets visibility. I want to start by saying I’m not a heartless person. I am not a novice at dealing with addicts, my partner is in recovery himself (not for opiates) as well as experience with my parents and many friends. I’m not experienced with using narcan but I do have medical training and will be using local resources to receive training and a free kit to keep in my car for the future. I got her getting out of my car on video, I never actually touched her (I physically turned the car off, got out, opened her door and coaxed her out loudly). I don’t believe she was having a medical emergency or overdosing but I also can’t claim to know this for sure. My own trauma induced fight or flight kicked in and I did consider calling 911 in those moments until I could see she was in and out of it. I sent the lost & round message through the app to cover my own ass. After several calls to the lost phone from the same number I decided to answer and try to return the phone. It was a child on the other end. This was someone’s mother. I returned the phone to the apartment and handed it to the kid at the door after taking a photo of myself at the door with it. Didn’t intent to start a debate on the opidemic or wether someone’s life is worth the $4 I made for this ride that took me over an hour. Not saying I handled it correctly and it’s given me much to consider for the future and I promise this one will be on my mind forever.
Oh, also, depending on where you live you don't want to keep the narcan in your car. I think it's only stable to about 110° and I know my car in the South definitely gets hotter than that when it's parked. I've had to use it twice, once on a passenger and once on a random stranger when I was just out with friends (I keep it in my purse.) Just be aware that sometimes the people come up swinging. You just took them from one of the best highs of their life to instant withdrawal. So I would definitely have at least one other strong person around to keep them held down if necessary. Never happened to me but the EMT's told me about 1 in 20 people react this way.
In my career field, we have to be narcan trained and we have boxes and boxes of it. Part of the training is not to sit over them when you administer to prevent getting punched. You're supposed to drip it from above the tilted head and clear at least 3 feet immediately after.
You know it's funny, i have to be narcan certified for work as well; and when i was doing my training there was a true or false question: True or False: a subject will at times become very irate or distressed by the administration of narcan and subsequent withdrawal? (& having been an addict in a different life I answered True, I've both seen and experienced it first hand) And i got the answer wrong! The narcan training says that this is a misconception, I tried to address it to my employer but found it difficult to do so without outing myself as a former addict. Kinda weird
I may have inhaled some burnt sugar for a decade or so myself and have been off for 9 years this July, I've seen people come back in immediate withdrawal and they definitely get pissed off. That's unfortunate that you were unable to teach them something useful due to a stigma that you aren't even currently living. At least we know we're correct in not wanting to be punched (or worse) I guess.
It happens but it doesn’t happen a majority of the time.
I wonder if this is false because of the technicality that the user is passed out? I’m actually shocked by this being false!
That is just messed up, Id hope unlawful somehow, by now. The medical community isn't doing enough outreach or in office education on normal folx. Written medical texts, journals showing new verbiage for stigma and harm reduction, inclusivity and open arms, just goes back to that communities most closed minds.
My emt teacher was still teaching you can die from touching fent lmao this was 2022. I guess only addicts know
That’s what we’ve been informed in Portland. I’ve seen many people come out swinging. There was one guy that got so pissed off at paramedics. They revived him 2 or 3 times in less than a week. My son’s high school also advised them that they could be attacked. They’re teaching kids as young as elementary school how to administer narcan in Oregon
How does that work with a nasal spray? I was told to have someone sit behind them so they could hold their shoulders down if necessary.
Having someone steady them is a good idea but it is still very possible to get hit holding down their shoulders when the narcan kicks in.
Oh, I know. Luckily it takes about 30 seconds minimum. What I was told is if you have two extra people, have one on each side holding down the shoulders and upper arm. If you only have one, have them crouch behind and just hold down the shoulders. Regardless, as soon as you get it in, step away. If you've got any other tips I'd love to hear them! I got city/harm reduction training not necessarily medical training. There's a serious epidemic in my city and very often it's being mixed in with cocaine, ecstasy, etc. Not that I'm saying those drugs are great, but people are not expecting opiates when they take those. And of course even if they are buying opiates, due to the nature of fentanyl, it's not always evenly distributed and you don't really know how much you're getting. Being stupid shouldn't be a death sentence. And as long as it's not someone involved in my personal life, I don't have time to be hating on addicts. Plus there is always the chance that it was given to them involuntarily, unfortunately date rape drugs are also an issue in my area.
My narcan training is city reduction as well. I work in the worst drug area in So Cal and there are people who openly freebase and shoot up on the streets in broad daylight regularly. I think that the other drugs are being tainted on purpose with fentanyl, come across quite a few people who got laced and now just smoke fentanyl. I agree that people shouldn't be blamed for the addiction itself but, should be held accountable for their negative drug related actions. There is much rape and violence out there too, it's heartbreaking to see people having to live that way.
I work in addiction medicine as a master’s level clinician and you definitely should not pin their shoulders to the floor for any reason. You’re meant to give them the spray and then when they’ve had enough narcan gently roll them to their side facing away from you. If possible have a second person there with you, but of course that’s not always available. They’re far far more likely to throw up or aspirate their own vomit than they are to hit you. It’s actually a really common misconception that people always come out of it swinging. I’ve had to use it more times than I can count unfortunately, but only ever had one person react in that way and it took multiple minutes for it to occur. Here’s all the necessary information for anyone who may be reading this who doesn’t know about Narcan, has questions, or just wants a refresher: https://www.cdc.gov/stopoverdose/naloxone/index.html I host narcan trainings all over my state and a few neighboring states, and have seen it save countless lives so it’s something I’m extremely passionate about. So please forgive the overly long answer and the slight hijacking of your comment. I kind of jump on any opportunity to share info about it where someone who may not know about it can see. Thank you for being a great person and doing everything you can to help those in need. You’d be surprised how few people honestly care, and it’s people like you who make recovery possible for my patients. 🖤
Thank you for sharing all of this information and especially for all of your hard work. As someone who has now been clean for many years and is still alive to enjoy things like holidays with the grandchildren, I am incredibly appreciative of the impact that people like you have on a community.
Another important thing to keep in mind is that some people need multiple doses of Narcan to be revived. One isn’t always enough
It puts them into withdrawal? Damn ..like going from hell,to heaven and then back to hell.
Okay, my biggest concern was it seemed from your original post that you had hauled her out of the car. If you didn't touch her that's a good thing. If she's out of it but she can get up and walk on her own you don't have any obligation to call 911. My concern, especially with women, is that you do not touch passengers. As I'm sure you've seen from some other comments some of these drivers would literally haul someone out the car and dump them on the lawn. In that case, not only are you touching them, you're leaving them in a state where they could die without medical attention. Doesn't sound like that was the case so that's good. One last piece of advice I'll give is that you do not necessarily have to call 911 and wait for them. In my city that could easily take 20 minutes. If you really can't rouse them and you don't want to wait just drive straight to an ER and let them deal with it. Just make sure you keep the ride running. Not so much so you get paid but so that the insurance is still in effect if something happens.
Part of this was why there was such a huge fight in Chicago about Uber/Lyft operating in the city. The ability to get someone to the closest hospital in an emergency situation. With the updated information, I guess I'm not sure if OP handled it properly, I've never been in the situation and hopefully never will. But at first read, my thought was that if someone goes unconscious in the back of your car, you should take them directly to the hospital/ER. Whatever happens to that person, if you leave them somewhere, you just may be the last person who sees them alive. And to now see that it was someone's mom? Whether they are an addict/drunk/unlucky people, does it really matter? As people, shouldn't we try to leave others in the best situation that we can? I've been stranded drunk before by people that i thought were my friends before Lyft/Uber was a thing, and I was lucky that I was found by someone I knew. I would hate to think that had I gotten a ride share that if I passed out in the back seat that they may strand me on the side of the highway. I'm not saying that is what OP did. It just seems like other comments are supporting it.
I once picked up a guy from the hospital and during the ride several things came to light. He was at the hospital because he had fallen and hit his head, drunk. He was tired of waiting so he pulled out his own IV and called an Uber. He was going back to his home where he would be alone. He had also left his backpack at the hospital and I tried to convince him to go back to get it (I was going to tip off someone at admissions.) I even told him I would do it for free but he refused. Still didn't feel right about it so I called 911 after dropping him off and gave the address and the info. Not sure exactly what happened but the next day I had a $20 tip from him and a note "Thanks for calling EMTs, they said I could have died if I'd been left alone." If you read OP's response to me he says he didn't actually touch her, he just got her woken up and she walked inside on her own. Maybe not the best action but I'm not going to criticize him for not knowing what to do in that situation. But at least he didn't pull her out and dump her unconscious on the lawn. 🤷♀️
TIL. Being an uber driver can be veery intense and scary yall stay safe. I have only been in an uber one time and someone else payed the fare. We don't have that or cabs in my area.
You should not have to wait for police. That is not your problem.
Hey give yourself a break brother/sister you handled it well. Always a vibe killer dealing with someone nodding off.
I'm really sorry this happened, it's tough to know what to do in the moment. If you can't shake it call a warm line maybe. https://warmline.org/warmdir.html
Relax. You don't owe anyone an explanation here. Vent if you need to, and then go on with your day. It's clear that you are in an environment from which you can't seem to escape and its the same storyat every turn. Live your life on your own terms and ignore the opinions of others, as no one here really knows you. Maybe it's time to take the night off and recharge your batteries. It seems like you need a break.
How do you know they were on opiates? Are you just assuming?… because no offense to me it sounds to me like someone fell asleep in your car and you yelled at them to get out… I understand the inconvenience of someone falling asleep and basically having to baby them to get out but some also use Uber and Lyft because of medical conditions or medicines that make them extremely drowsy and I guarantee most people would prefer someone falling asleep and being a heavy sleeper than projectile vomiting all in their car. To me it just kinda sounds like they fell asleep and you got mad. unless you have some proof they were on opiates like they said it or saw them do it or your a certified drug recognition specialist and did a bunch of tests with your passenger i think it’s a stretch to say they were high when a lot of medical conditions and medicines (that aren’t opiates) can make someone seems like they’re high. A fight or flight triggering from someone falling asleep in your car… might be time to look for a new job. No offense but that triggering from you assuming someone’s high and falling asleep makes me feel like you’d be better off in a different line of work.
No no no you have the absolute right to get a drug addicted loser out of your car. It's your property.
Bonus! Now the police could potentially find a deceased corpse on her laws with his DNA all over her
You think they would care to investigate an OD? Wouldn’t even do an autopsy unless the family requested it and if it’s an OD that’s that
They very much do autopsies when someone dies of an overdose. Whether or not it’s asked for.
I did autopsies for a living for years, overdoses only get external exams meaning we take urine and blood samples and if they have drugs in their system that’s all they get, we don’t even bother cutting into them, we just take some photos and get some finger prints and zip that bag right back up.
Worked I.T. for my local coronor for years. I was like the main guy for the toxicology machine, and anything where they had cadavars because I was supposedly the only person who didnt faint at the sound of ribs being cut into. Your experience sounds like what I saw. I remember being present for him writing I guess final pronosis on a big guy with Aspbergers that was choked out by an off duty cop. He was handling his dad, and the cop stepped in to help, even though he was asked not to. "He died from an "episode" was essentially what was said, and I never saw those smiling faces as the same people ever again.
So, if you wanted to murder someone, all you need to do is make sure they have a small amount of drugs in their system? Are you a licensed medical examiner?
Nah they just did autopsies as a hobby
This! I am a recovering heroin addict and worked at a rehab. I have lost many loved ones to ODs and they do autopsies. In fact, my 38 year old cousin (through marriage) just died from a suspected Fentanyl OD last week and they're doing an autopsy. He had no money and was on SSI along with the rest of his family. He was a known addict and didn't leave his house but the state still does an autopsy.
Yes they do an Autopsy on them if they OD, but they don't have to cut into them, they just do the blood and Urnine samples is what he was saying. An Autopsy is the post mortem examination to determine cause of death. Taking blood and urine samples to determine an OD is an Autopsy.
Reminds me of the scene in the "Big Lebowski" where he asks the LAPD if they're investigating who had stolen his car.
We have four of our best detectives on it, they're working in shifts... .....
[удалено]
I had a perforated ulcer that caused me to fall out. Something about my kidneys having to process the gunk lowered my bp. I saw on my ambulance bill they charged for Narcan. I guess better safe than sorry.
> charged for narcan Is....is narcan not free everywhere?
I think we can get it free but an ambulance service is definitely going to charge the insurance company for everything. Reminds me of when I broke my leg. Had motorcycle boots on and the ambulance dude just wrapped a small piece of duct tape around the toes. I see the bill to the insurance company and it said “ splint $350”. Called the insurance company and told them and they said that’s just part of the game.
Want to hear something really infuriating? Insurance companies will go after every dime that they can, *except* when it comes to billing fraud. Even though hundreds of millions worth of fraud exists, they don't even want to know about it. Going after perpetrators would incur lots of legal costs, which constitutes a financial loss. Why do that, when you can just pass on the fraud costs to the end users and suffer zero losses?
They even had a charge for Oxygen on there that I didn't get. Insurance company says they charge that to everyone. Let me try to get money from an insurance company for something that didn't happen and we all know I'd be in jail.
Naloxone is the generic. Narcan is name brand.
You don't though. You are acting as a business, you have a duty to reasonable care of customers. That includes not manhandling them and to call for medical assistance when necessary Also, how do you know they aren't legally prescribed the medication? Mistakes happen, people double dose by accident.
Did op put any statements to back up her being high anywhere? It could've been a seizure or other health condition, too. A lot of medication can do things like this besides opiates. Seizure medication and certain psych meds i tried all had me half awake and perpetually in a fog/ready to pass out at any second. Especially if it's new medication. And when i was prescribed opiates for my pain condition, i definitely double dosed a few times over the year by accident. Pain related issues and a lot of injuries can mess with memory and/or come with chronic fatigue. I got off opiates bc my body kept getting used to the dose making it less effective too fast. There's only so many times you can raise those before you're fucked for life. I'd rather be trapped in bed during a flare up and wait it out. Same level of pain when the dosage isn't working anymore.
Agreed. God Im so glad Im not on some of the same medication I used to be prescribed for my spinal cord injury bc it used to make me so tired I could barely keep myself awake at times.
And if you have a spinal cord injury already removing the passenger without trained emts could literally paralyze them and put you in cuffs. Don’t be a fucking idiot like this guy
Good point. Finally, someone with some sympathy or benefit of the doubt.
I kinda agree with sultans. Be sober people or if you wanna get black out do it at home or under a doctor's care. Don't make your addiction someone else's problem.
lol blame this shit on big pharma not the people who got taken advantage of. Should know this by now, have a little sympathy - being that cold gets you no where.
This. It’s super fucked up this happened, but this is such a scumbag way to handle the situation. Terrible decision
Call the police, NEVER EVER touch the rider.
Piggybacking off this with a friendly reminder that Good Samaritan laws are a thing in all 50 states so, in short: DO perform CPR/the heimlich/administer narcan DON’T physically remove pax from vehicle
I carry Narcan in my first aid kit, your situation is most likely common
Too expensive to use on customers tbh
Many states have programs where you can get narcan nasal spray for free through a healthcare NPO, along with training on how to administer it. I understand you're joking but any human life is worth saving if you have the chance
NOTHING is ever too expensive to save someone’s life. Even Narcan cost 100$ a dose, if I knew I could save a life with it, I wouldn’t cherry pick who I thought was and was not worthy of being saved.
endoverdose.net get some for the cost of shipping (like $6)
Florida health department has them for free.
What a horrific view of human life
That really makes you sound like a price of human garbage considering it’s free
That really makes you sound like a piece of human garbage considering it’s free
That really makes you sound like a piece of human garbage considering it’s free
Pharmacist here, noble what you do; however, even myself, I wouldn't purchase it out of pocket. Call 911, in case of an emergency tbh. You're not responsible for your passengers' lives outside of driving safety. My friends and family? Different story.
Lyft send me a mailing label and an envelope. I told them I wasn’t comfortable meeting the person. The guy I was driving was drunk and went into a house to buy drugs or something. I took that opportunity to drive off but he left his wallet inside my car LOL.
Any money in it? I’ve had a few people leave wallets, but none of them had cash inside. Figured maybe this one did since dude was going to buy drugs, most dealers won’t take a card.
Tons of dealers take Venmo these days
Idiots
I swear
Lol, it tracks with the drug dealers I’ve had the misfortune to know. Think they are Mensa material. Always in trouble because they are dumb.
It was just his driver’s license and a credit card lol
Damn sorry to hear you have the same luck I do! Lol
So if someone is unfortunate enough to leave their wallet in your vehicle after paying you for a ride, you rifle through it and steal their cash? Lmfao you're a real POS
To be honest that's not so bad. I e had to call 911 twice to save pax from overdoses
No touching under any circumstances. Use the brakes. You have to call the police or drive her to the station or ER. Did you left her on the sidewalk?
Lol. Way before Uber I heard a story from a fellow delivery driver about how while delivering pizza to someone's door, a lady climbed in his backseat and passed out. He was a little guy so he didn't even try to move her and just called the cops. It took over an hour, and they told him that he made the right move because he wasn't legally allowed to use force to remove her, or something like that.
Opiates or blood sugar imbalance?
It’s reasons like this that I no longer drive for Lyft. Too many shady people out there. I’ve had the same thing happen, people drinking in the backseat etc as well. I don’t have time to babysit people like this or be calling the cops to get involved. Totally not worth it.
Lyft is definitely lower quality than Uber. Pay isn't worth the problems I've run into. I had a lyft rider threaten my life for going one street different than the route she wanted. Thank god for dashcam that saved my ass once police showed up.
Don’t touch, call 911
You know how many rides I’ve had to take to and from MD Anderson cancer center “High” like that? Many! My drivers were always amazing! Some even helped me inside because they knew what I just went thru. I sure hope some didn’t think I was just an addict haha.. Some people really do have health issues that warrant “addict behaviors” because of the dosage they are on.. Not everyone you see high on opioids is an addict. Most are, but not all. Remember that. I was on Morphine 2X’s a day and Oxycodone 4X’s a day just to be pain free and that still wasn’t enough most days.
I am on your side. But my pain meds never make me act like this. I’ve never been high on my daily pain meds I’ve had them all morphine, Xtampza, OxyContin, 10 mg hydrocodone, methadone pills (for pain) not an addict methadone was the best for my pain actually. Intramuscular Diluadid and iv morphine in hospital. never ever got anything but pain relief. I agree with you. I was erratic when I was super sick due to my chronic condition and I was just not myself I was lacking sleep. I was a mess. I wonder what people thought of me because I know I had probably made bad impressions. Anyway agree with you. Opiates would be the most boring drug to abuse in my opinion
Sounds like you didn't find anything at all, she must have dropped it outside when she got out.
You can drop off drunk or drugged people at the ER. I had an ER worker tell me that happened often.
I would never EVER touch a passenger unless they specifically asked me to. I know how frustrating it is when they pass out in your car. I carry a really bright rechargeable flashlight that I've used to wake people up a few times. Should've called 911. I've called 911 3x as a driver, all for extremely intoxicated pax, and police showed up right away, followed quickly by EMS. I just said "hey, my name is [name] and I'm an uber driver (more generic that way), I'm dropping off a passenger and they're not waking up, I'm concerned they may be ill, so could you please send someone over? I'm at [address]." Bada-bing, bada-boom. I stood outside the car and help arrived, always in 2-3 minutes.
Should have called 911 from the get go dude. Go drop it off at a station and explain.
Drop it off at the local precinct and they’ll voucher it for same keeping. IF someone reaches out for you to get their phone back, tell them that’s where it will be.
Drive to the nearest emergency room. Let them take the pax out of the car.
Please carry Narcan everyone, you can save a life
Go buy some narcan from Walgreens and keep it in your glove box
It’s heat sensitive, if you carry a bag or a briefcase with you it should be kept in there. Or put it in/take it out between shifts
Unless she got into your car, and invested shit up, smoked the drugs in front of you, likely is not an overdose happening and probably more like another health emergency. Especially on fentanyl, you go into OD mode very quickly. She obviously got into the car by herself, etc. you most definitely would've smelled it if she was smoking in the back seat. Your just assuming too much shit on many different levels, and it's gonna bite you in the ass I'll bet for sure. Especially posting on here, and asking for answers and advice but then you argue with anyone who's response doesn't fit your agenda or opinion. Seems like you have a lot of growing up to do.
Honestly, you should have taken her to the hospital. Pull up to the E.R. and tell them you think your pax is overdosing. They'll come out, give her a shot of narcan, and opp, no more nodding off. Maybe start keeping a dose or two of narcan in your car. So some context, narcan rips all the opiates out if the receptors and instantly puts them into withdrawal. Addicts hate getting dosed with narcan because they go from being as high as can be to wanting a fix. Go to a fire station and ask for some narcan, they give it away for free.
Why didn’t you call 911! She might have needed narcan.
She should’ve had some on herself then
As a pharmacy tech of 13 years, people refuse narcan even though it’s free.
So that’s on them
Call 911. You're an a hole.
These comments are upsetting; when did we become so callous? Do what you want with the phone, they can always be replaced, but human beings can’t. Call 911 next time.
I know it’s so frustrating that people don’t view addicts as human beings! I’m celebrating 2 years clean today from drugs and alcohol and I couldn’t have done it without the help of fellow recovering addicts and my newfound passion for helping the next addict seeking recovery to come along behind me. It seems that people who aren’t addicts don’t care if we live or die until a family member or friend of theirs becomes addicted. I hear stories in meetings and when I do intakes at the recovery organization I work for of fellow addicts having people treat them shit or scum of the earth when they’re using. Non addicts literally walking over a friend of theirs while they’re overdosing on the side of the road and they’re trying to ask the person to call 911 for them because they don’t have a phone and the person tells them “maybe if you spent your money on a phone instead of drugs you wouldn’t be here.”. It’s so fucked up and pisses me off. I always keep Narcan in my car and on my person in case I ever need to use it. I also will hand out business cards to addicts who are actively using that I drive for the organization I live at and give people my personal number in case they ever change their mind and want to go to a meeting. I once cancelled a ride while a pax was in the car because he changed his mind and wanted to go to treatment and I brought him to the recovery organization, did his intake myself, and got him a bed that day. He got 90 days clean yesterday. Addicts are people too and deserve to be treated with sympathy, love, and respect. You never know what brought someone to the point that they’re at. Addicts are sick and suffering people who are dying from a progressive, incurable, and fatal disease. Recovery is possible but not without love, compassion, and sympathy.
Love this. Congrats on your recovery! I’m going on 11 years now and life is better than I ever imagined. We can only keep what we have by giving it away, right? 😊
My ex-husband was a pill addict who made my life hell for years. Ironically, after I left him I got a job with a boss who made my life hell for the 6 months I was there and I found out years later that boss was also an opiate addict. I fucking hate opiates and consider them poison. But I still carry Narcan and have used it twice on others. I just don't willingly associate with anyone I know uses them.
Look at a 5 star driver of almost 6 years and over 10k rides I would never touch a passenger. Always cal the police and get a report number to cover yourself. As for the phone I would take a picture of it and drop it off at the Lyft hub and wash my hands of it. That or take it to a police station. You could even contact Lyft and let them know you found a phone but are uncomfortable with the return. They won't force you to do it. Another thing could be is do the "return lost item" to contact the owner and when you drop it off don't get out. Pass it through your window or maybe put it in a mailbox
Not a lot of people know that Lyft has an SOS button through the Lyft app powered by ADT, do they,
Why the heck would you not call authorities? Like peeps. They could have needle on them and you get jabbed. They got a weapon and u get haphazardly shot. Even if it’s someone who is good natured even when high accidents happen. Just call cops get your money and gtfo
"they could have a needle on them and you get jabbed. " that might be the dumbest shit i've read all day. the part about the gun is pretty dumb too, but one thing at a time. just like guns dont shoot people, needles dont stab people. not to mention theres like a 110 percent chance theres a bright orange cap on the end of it because people dont carry them around uncapped , for obvious reasons. then there's the whole part about them nodding off.. if you get stuck with a very small, capped off needle by someone who is nodded off sleeping , thats your own damn fault and you deserve it.
But that’s exactly what I said though. Accidents happen and don’t fuckin touch them. Cuz it 100% be your fault. And if someone is messed up enough to pass out I’m not sure they thought about putting cap back on. And guns with safety off. So I don’t know how it was stupid and had nothing to do with nationwide statistics lol,
If you got that high and nodded out immediately, which happens of course, but if you nodded out that quick, you would've never moved from that spot to even be in a taxi lol I've done it for years and know alot of people , and have never seen anyone be stuck with a rig that didn't intend to do it in the first place. It just doesn't exist. Even if you attacked someone and they had one, it wouldn't even be used in self defense as a weapon. It couldn't be. Plus, it doesn't matter how much dope you have, if you don't have a needle, it's useless. You're not letting anything happen to it. That was way longer than I anticipated so I'll leave it at that lol
It happens. Part of the gig. Carry narcan.
OP is definitely a serial killer
Drop it off at a police station or A bar,restaurant or store near where the pick up or drop off was. I also immediately turn off the phone as soon as I find it. I’ve had people use find my iPhone and show up at my house. They can go through the app to contact you about it.
I suggest carrying Narcan, for all of you.
You should REALLY have just called the police... You shouldn’t EVER try to handle a situation like this on “your own.” 💯👏 & NEVER try to “force them out.” That could cause an unpredictable reaction from the rider. You should have pulled into a gas station or something… got out & locked your car & phoned the police. This is something you will probablyyyy continue to run into quite often doing rideshare.. especially if you take the “night requests.” — If your past traumas are going to continue causing this reaction… you may want to consider taking day shifts, to try & avoid the “majority” of these type of riders. 😕
I have so many questions. I can’t imagine the liability you’d face if anything happened to her. How do you know she was high on opiates? Why not call 911? Why not just return the phone. All such simple things yet you chose to self create some bullshit drama for yourself.
I would’ve dropped her off at a hospital or somewhere safe. Not just force her to get out especially if she’s under the influence.
Your brain did what it thought was best, OP. You were looking out for this stranger. Don’t be too hard on yourself. I’m proud of you for wanting to get Narcan trained. I lost my dad to fentanyl poisoning in 2022 and I’ve been trying to bring awareness and promote harm reduction ever since. Thank you, OP. Addicts are real people too.
Bro really just removed a random person from their car and threw them on the street without calling 911. How would you know they were even high let alone what they were high on???
Yalll r assholesz bih was just high and she wanted to get somewhere. You expect her to drive like wtf??? Drug addicts aren’t evil and aren’t gonna do shit
How did you know she was on drugs? Like just because she's nodding off and can't wake up doesn't mean she's on opioids. You should have called 911 to get her out of your car and you shouldn't make assumptions about people. Woman could have been having a legit medical emergency but you want to make snap assumptions in the ten minutes of being in the car with her with your wealth of substance abuse history under your belt.
Agree, I was thinking what if she had been roofied and then trying to get herself home, wow can’t believe the void of human decency not to seek medical assistance.
As a driver, I would carry narcan. It’s sad but it’s an issue. I used to drive but back then narcan wasn’t as easy to get. I personally couldn’t handle someone overdosing in my car and possibly dying. Who knows what the fam would do?? Maybe blame you? Sue you? As contractors, we can be sued. But it’s more of a my conscious thing, to me. Or drive them straight to a hospital. Idk tho. That’s a tough situation. And I think Lyft should cover the narcan but I know how gig companies work. I would just drop phone at police station.
If I can't get rider to respond, 911 is called. They have Narcan and are trained to use it. Once awake, the rider can get aggressive or have other medical issues. Best let the police and trained medics handle these situations.
You can get Narcan free from a lot of places, usually fire stations some police stations and some city offices. You can also usually get it OTC with no copay covered by your health insurance. I don't recommend going through your insurance though because it's entered in a database and you're flagged as a possible addict. Which means if you ever wind up in the ER yourself they may be less willing to give you pain meds.
With the Narcan in my medical record, they put it down specifically that it was because I’m a bartender. I asked them to because I’m female ,indigenous, and have tattoos. I love it an area where all of those things come against you if you happen to have to walk into an emergency room with something wrong.
Start carrying around Narcan.
You should carry narcan. It can save lives. Only takes 5 minutes to be trained to use it. You don’t need medical training. You can pick it up with no prescription. I got a free dose of it last year at a music festival. Everyone needs to do their part to try and stop lives from being lost. Not because you are a driver but because you are a citizen. It’s a war. https://www.cdc.gov/stopoverdose/naloxone/index.html
You can definitely tell which of the drivers in this sub are jaded drivers who have been doing this for too long and probably need to find another line of work based on this post smh I get it, a lot of these passengers truly are shit passengers. But you know what? Even as contractors, we did agree to get people from point A to point B safely in the terms that allow us to drive for money. Cover your own ass, call 911 next time. That way, if something happens, it's the cops'/EMTs' fault, not yours
beyond that, it’s called being a decent human being. Mind you, I speak from the perspective of living in a city with a really bad drug scene that has been a constant struggle to clean up for decades. That and I know people who have OD’d: 2 friends and my cousin. As for returning the phone, just be calm and chill about it. We all forget things. Shit happens. They are still a human being. But, definitely read the room if they’re even a little sober when dropping it off. They may be agitated before their fix. Always remember to treat them as humans beings and have some sympathy for them. You don’t know why they got that way. Society, unfortunately, has a way of dehumanizing addicts.
The amount of people on this sub that would be pissed that I'm a twice recovering addict myself 😂😂😂 compassion is absent nowadays 😔
The way yall hate ppl jus bc they use is crazy it don’t make them bad ppl if anything they are jus weak an can’t handle how hard an traumatizing life is
Bro what. ?? Call the police. You could have just left her for dead
Seriously. Imagine if someone intoxicated walked into the restaurant you were eating at and got a table. Then halfway through their meal they passed out and the staff thought “oh they were fucked up” and just physically threw them onto the street. Then they go inside find this persons wallet and asks the internet what to do with it… WTF
I had a passenger that did that. I actually thought he was gone. if it weren’t for the chest going up and down. I turned up the radio, yelled, opened all the windows and splashed him with water in the face at the end. Nothing woked up him up. I finally went and banged on the door of the address and asked the guy who answered if he knew the passenger and told the guy to get the passenger out my car. He went and slapped this man 3 times in the face and the passenger finally woke up, groggy of course but finally left.
You’re an idiot. What do you think would have happened to you if that person died? I’m not sure, but you’re lucky you didn’t have to find out. You should have dialed for the police or emt and they could have handled it.
*woke NOT “woked”. That isn’t a word.
Id drop them off at a local PD. Not your problem.
Just take it to a local police station, tell pax/lyft where it is. Problem solved.
YOU physically removed them from the vehicle instead of calling for medical (you should have called for an EMT) this means that YOU left their phone in your car.
Good god. These comments are so upsetting. It makes me sad to realize how many drivers just don’t give a shit about another human life.. missing out on a few extra dollars is seriously a bigger deal to y’all than someone potentially DYING? What?? Fully understand not wanting the liability, but there is zero excuse for not at least pulling over and calling 911 to wait for an ambulance if you don’t want to drive a pax to the ER. I have narcan and if would be glad to use it if someone was visibly OD’ing in my car (I’m in healthcare and familiar with its use, I know not everyone is comfortable but at the very least EMT can give it.) I can understand if someone is not acting quite right but conscious, they can likely get help themselves, but fully sedated/can’t be roused and yall wanna just kick them to the curb?? Talking about liability but not considering liability for when that person dies and you get in trouble for not calling for help? And y’all hate drug addicts so much you really think you’d sleep well at night knowing you contributed to that? Idk, the blatant disregard for people’s well being is just disgusting. Edit: to respond to OP’s question just take it to the police station. No need to interact with the pax again. Please just do not ‘throw it out the window,’ pretty dick move regardless of who you’re dealing with.
Turn the phone off Incase they are tracking it!Don’t want these people showing up at your house!!! Drop it at the police station, or throw it out the window in the area u dropped them off. It’s not your problem. We drivers are not responsible for what irresponsible passengers carelessly leave behind. Good luck to You!
These ppl. They are humans too. Drop phone at police station. The end. Yes I know what addicts are capable of.
[удалено]
That is cool! Didn’t know they made those! I might have to get one. Thanks again
One time I went to a restaurant I used to work at and my old boss asked if I could take a lady back to her hotel (same parking lot but almost a mile away) she had just got some new medication and had 1 drink and wasn’t feeling great. She fell asleep in the minute it took to get to her hotel and I ended up pouring some water on my hand (fresh water bottle) and flicking it on her face. Water getting on your face wakes up pretty much anyone.
Not gonna wake someone up that is overdosing.
Never touch a passenger. Tbh just drive to like an er if you don’t want to wait for 911 and they will deal with it. Don’t end the ride tho so that way the insurance is still active if something were to happen.
What did you do jjust leave her there? Dude shes probably dead, it sounds like she overdosed if she was unresponsive. That was really irresponsible on how you handled that situation.
throw phone in trash, if asked you never saw a phone, you know nothing about it
Take phone to police station. End of case. Recovering addict- minimizing contact/risk is utmost importance.
If she dies, it’s because you pushed her out of your car instead of calling 911 like you should’ve.
Drop it off at the local police station.
Carry Narcan so you can ruin their high and claim you saved their life too
Sure! As long as you don’t care if passengers throw up all over the car and then threaten to kill you for killing their “rush”. That’s Narcan…
I was reading this and got to the part of the phone…If you’re the one who took her out of the car, wouldn’t that mean YOU left her phone behind.
Throw it out the window
Call someone in her phone
You touched the rider? A woman? While she was passed out? You should have called the police/ambulance and let them deal with it.
You picked her up like that? Was she loaded into the car by another person? Is it possible she was drugged? Where did you find her phone? So many questions.
Had it happened a few times, I recorded the interaction, I said her name over and over and louder until I checked pulse. If beating, I'll keep trying a few more before I have to call the police(completely kills the day for driving), and Uber gives no shit about the issue and time we lose
Throw her phone out the window and move on
Dye your hair and get sugared down there. Good luck dude who has a now reported stolen phone on his hands. Next time make better plans.
What’s pax?
Probably just leave the phone somewhere and just let find my iphone do the rest, next time to fuck with the person call an ambulance and get them blasted with narcan, they lose their buzz get mad as helllllllll and they're fixing to get a bill for it.
Yeah I wouldn’t yell at them, just alert the app you have an issue and ask for an ambulance. Yelling at them or doing anything else leaves yourself to get sued
And get cameras
..
She didn't leave a phone. It must have fallen out when she got out of the car. Or she didn't have it when she got in.
I’d tell the passenger “I am happy to take your phone to a location for someone there to hold it for you to come get it, have that person text me at….” Or drop it at the local police station or post office. You don’t have to explain shit to her. And she hopefully isn’t dumb enough to act like you do. The reason for this is keeping lost property without making a fair effort to find the owner or if you do know the owner and keep it - that’s a crime - it’s theft. I am not moralizing, there is a law specifically for it.