The Dangerous Night-Shift in the ER…
A True Story
Carol has been an advanced-care Registered Nurse now for more than a decade. While her normal specialty is working as an operating room surgical nurse, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the hospital she is working in was only performing emergency surgeries at this point. For that reason, she was assigned as a “floater,” in the Emergency Room (ER) on this night.
She actually found the fast-paced triage-based medicine she was practicing in the ER a welcome distraction from the bigger concerns of the highly infectious disease the whole world has been dealing with. It had been a while since she had dealt with such a varied patient load and she was actually enjoying the direct patient interactions.
As a healthcare professional she was used to high-stress, critical-reaction situations in the operating room. This environment was different though. That evening the ER was dealing with children who had backyard injuries and upset stomachs. Elderly patients who were dealing with long-term illnesses, victims of car accidents and of course patients who were petrified they were exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19. Her shift was literally “flying by.”
You Never Know What to Expect…
The waiting area of the walk-in ER wing was packed. It was literally standing-room-only. Many people were obviously sick and some of them had injuries that were going to need sutures, bones set and illnesses diagnosed. The triage staff was working diligently to assess each patient and move the most critical to any open beds in the ER. While the ER was “slammed,” the pace was manageable under the circumstances.
It was manageable for all but one patient who was highly agitated and growing more so by the minute. He had sustained some type of power tool injury to his hand. No doubt a contributing factor was the alcohol that could be smelled on his breath. When the triage nurse left her station for a moment to take a patient back into the ER, he saw his chance to simply charge down the hallway directly into the ER bay. The first person he encountered was Carol.
After more than a decade on the front-lines working in a hospital setting, she had seen it all. So, her first reaction of seeing this irate, agitated, large man who looked as though he had just left a work-site…charging into the ER bay did not shock her. It did though require her to intercede and find out what he was doing. It was only after she attempted to stop him and ask him where he was going that she immediately knew this situation was not going to go well.
He Attacked Like an Injured Animal…
“Sir, where are you going? What can I do to help you?” were the first words that Carol asked him. He responded with an aggressive, “…get out of my way!” Again, Carol tried to ascertain where he was headed and what his intentions were. There were sick and injured people throughout the ER and she couldn’t just let him charge around like a wild animal. “You need to return to the waiting room Sir until we have room for you in an ER bay,” was all she barely got out before he attacked!
He immediately grabbed a crutch that was leaning against a wall near him. He began swinging it wildly at her trying his best to hit her with it. Carol dodged the first blow and was trying not to panic. While this situation had escalated quickly and was no doubt unfolding fast…to her it almost seemed like it was slow-motion. It was in that moment that Carol remembered she had her Yellow Jacket Smartphone Stun Gun Case in her scrubs pocket.
Her husband had purchased it for her sometime ago. While she never expected to use it for more than a backup battery for her phone, she nevertheless promised her husband that when she carried it, she would activate the stun gun discreetly integrated into it. Before she realized it, she had pulled it out of her pocket and when he missed with his next swing of the crutch she stepped in and jammed it into his stomach while simultaneously depressing the trigger. The effect was instantaneous.
He Dropped to the Floor Like a Rock…
As soon as Carol discharged the high-microcoulomb Yellow Jacket against his torso he immediately dropped the crutch, screamed in pain and crumpled to the floor of the ER. Carol said she wasn’t even sure the Yellow Jacket discharged at first because it didn’t make any noise! Normally, when she would “dry-fire,” it in the air to test it, she could hear the very loud “popping” noise it made as micro-sonic booms were being generated.
Since though the Yellow Jacket was in contact with her assailant, those noises didn’t occur because the electrical discharge was grounding into his body. Once he hit the floor and screamed other people came running to her aid. He was quickly brought under control by Hospital Security Staff and held by them until the arrival of Law Enforcement. He was arrested for felony assault…attacking a healthcare professional in a hospital.
Once the excitement had calmed down Carol was inundated with questions from other staff and even the arresting police officers as to what she defended herself with. With a supportive hospital management team that prioritizes the safety of their employees, Carol dealt with no negative fallout from the deployment of a non-lethal, defensive tool that no doubt saved her from grave bodily injury. Carol said, “While I was afraid for my life, I was more afraid of what he might do to my patients and co-workers. He was not going to get past me swinging that weapon!”
“I’ll Never Be Without My Yellow Jacket Again…”
“When my husband first purchased my Yellow Jacket for me, I wasn’t sure I needed it as a defensive tool,” shared Carol. “I loved the backup battery feature, but just didn’t think I would ever have to use the stun gun. Boy was I wrong!” she continued. “My husband has always been someone tactically aware of his surroundings being a combat-Vet…I was more a reluctant practitioner of those precepts.” “However, I am a true believer in the power of the Yellow Jacket now and I will never be without it!”
Please Note: The above story is a factual account of an actual assault that a Yellow Jacket customer was involved in. Her name and some of the facts of the case were slightly altered to protect her identity at her family’s request. However, the basic actions taken during the actual assault and the outcome of her Yellow Jacket deployment are accurate. We commend this person for their “warrior” mindset and the definitive actions she took which undoubtedly saved her own life and perhaps others. The visceral reaction that one experiences when a high-microcoulomb discharge is felt may vary, the painful effect cannot be ignored.
