If you couldn't tell, I spend quite a bit of time around gas stations. I am an attendant, part time. I would like to share this scarey story with you that happened one day on my shift.
I was outside smoking a cig waiting for the next customers to come inside. There were only five cars fueling and it was a quiet night so far. I hear a scream. All I could see was a young teenager who looked like he was helping his hunched over mom. They were slowly walking toward me. I could not tell what was happening but knew they were coming to me for help. I could tell the lady was injured by her stance.
As they came closer, I could tell the lady's eyes were clenched shut and her face was all red.
I held open the door and told them to foloow me.
I got to the eyewash station and could not get the bottles open. All thumbs from the pressure. I pointed to the restroom so they could start flushing her eyes out. It was apperant she had gotten gasoline in her eyes but she was screaming. She must have gotten a lot of gasoline in her face. She wreaked of gas.
She started dabbing water on her face. I directed her to use ample amounts of water and told her son he needed to make her do so. I left to go call 9-11.
As I walked out she screamed. "Don't leave me!, Please! Don't leave!" I felt terrible.
I came right back with the portable phone with the 9-11 operator on the line. I relayed the operator's directions to the lady and her son.
Meanwhile, I had customers peering in to see what was going on...like it is any of their business. A couple of the patrons seemed to be getting agitated that they weren't waited on for a few minutes. Come on people!
Thankfully, one regular customer came in and asked if she could help. Awesome! Because I was getting frantic. The paramedics were on their way, but we had NO time to waste. Waiting for the medics to get there to flush her eyes out would have been too late for her, I am sure, as gasoline is potent and could blind someone very quickly.
We laid the victim on the floor with towels. The good samaritain and the son were flushing her eyes out with the saline (eye wash) that I had finally gotten open.
I seemed like two hours, everything was in slow motion, when the paramedics arrived.
Thankfully, the lady was treated and sent home. They let her drive home =)
In retrospect a few things are surprising to me:
1) The paramedics, nor the victim said "Thank you" or "Good Job" to me. The good samaritain did though and I returned the praises to her. She did great.
2) The 9-11 operator was really sarcastic with me when I said I didn't know the address. She said "You don't know the address of the place you work? That's good. Real nice." By the time she was finished being rude, I had the address in my hand ready to tell her. (Don't they know the address by the caller ID already, anyways?)
3) It has been a couple of months now, and I have not seen the victim or her son since. If it were me, I would be sending a thank you note. Or at least come in and say "Thank you, I'm doing fine."
4) My boss and co-workers reprimanded me for giving "medical attention" to the victim. (???) Eye wash? geez. I didn't give her Tylenol or anything that could cause an allergic reaction. It was my big boss (my boss' boss) that came in and told everyone I did the right thing and that the lady was lucky I was there. It IS a good thing I was there. The others would have let her go blind waiting on the paramedics! I couldn't believe it. I walked out that day. I cam back the next but I was so angry at the immorality of it all!
I am still with the company but looking for a new job. I didn't need a parade, really, I don't care what these losers think of me at all... but I was so surprised because I did not expect a reprimand at all. At the very least, ask me what happened and to tell the story. No one did.