The slapping sounds and garbled words caught my attention.
As I approached the 7th Avenue Tunnel, the sounds became sharper and the words clearer. “Don’t die on me, dude,” someone said as the slapping continued. “Come on, wake up.”
Once inside the tunnel, I could see a homeless man lying on his back and another homeless man kneeling over him – trying to slap him back into consciousness. The man on the ground moved slowly, as though in slow motion before lapsing back into stillness.
“Come on, Darin, don’t die on me,” the other man said.
I asked him if he needed help; I pulled out my mobile to call 911. “Don’t do that,” the would-be rescuer snarled. “I don’t need to have anyone’s help; this guy’s overdosed; I can handle it.”
He began to snap his fingers in Darin’s face but to no avail. Another couple of slaps to the head didn’t do the trick either. Now desperate, the would-be rescuer began to dig furiously though his pockets until he found a package containing Narcan nasal spray.
With trembling hands he tore open the package, took the bottle out and inserted the tip of it into one and then the other nostril of Darin’s nose.
“Come on, damn you, Darin, wake up,” he said as he threw the bottle down. “You’d better not die.”
Moments later, Darin struggled to sit up and then asked, “Where am I? How did I get here?”
But by then the unidentified homeless man who had saved his life had stood up and quickly walked out of the tunnel. As I watched him disappear around a corner, I was reminded of something a homeless man by the name of Native Mike had said to me several days earlier.
“We’re homeless for a lot of different reasons … but we do see ourselves as being our own community, our own family. And we try to look out for each other.”
Editor's Note: Mr. Simpson estimates that what he witnessed and photographed occurred in approximately two to three minutes. Name and photos used with permission.
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Chappellg
Mr. Simpson, thank you for your reporting & your empathy. I’d ask you, though, to drop the adjective “homeless” from the descriptions. These are men or people first, unhoused second. All of us would assume that someone using drugs in the tunnel or in a doorway would be unhoused. But we don’t know that without asking and those are pejorative words to many of us. They are apparently unfortunate humans with probable substance use disorders and with untold stories, but I can’t verify any of that without asking them. And thank goodness the first man had Narcan with him.
But still, thank you for a very personal story of two people.
George Chappell
Tuesday, January 9 Report this
WA_Mojo
Wow Simpson, you deferred to some other homeless guy’s medical assessment as to what was best for Darin’s medical emergency rather than phoning 911. You exhibited extremely bad judgement.
Tuesday, January 9 Report this
Yeti1981
Unbelievable! If witnessing an overdose, you should always call 911. The Good Samaritan Law protects all involved from criminal prosecution. To listen to the other guy and not call emergency services is a really bad choice.
Tuesday, January 9 Report this
ejpoleii
So, first thought of a commenter is a lecture on using "homeless". Weird. Note that use of Narcan is a temporary fix. Then it is possible for the user to die. Again. Always call 911. BTW, a single dose of the spray cost about $25. Not exactly aspirin.
Here's a little more information from "Copilot".
Narcan, also known as naloxone, is a medication used to reverse an opioid overdose. It starts working within **2 to 3 minutes** of a dose⁵⁴. Its effects can last anywhere between **30 to 90 minutes**⁵³.
If the person does not wake up or become responsive within **3 minutes** after the first dose, a second dose should be administered⁴⁵. There's no maximum recommended dose for Narcan, and it can be given multiple times as needed, every 2–3 minutes¹.
Please remember that administering Narcan is not a substitute for emergency medical care for opioid overdose. After Narcan has been given, **911 or your local emergency number should be called right away**¹.
This information is a general guide and may vary based on individual patient conditions. Always consult with a healthcare professional for accurate information.
Source: Conversation with Bing, 1/9/2024
(1) What is Narcan? Uses, Dosage, and Side Effects - GoodRx. https://www.goodrx.com/naloxone/what-is-narcan-used-for-dosage-side-effects.
(2) Naloxone: Frequently Asked Questions | Anne Arundel County Health .... https://www.aahealth.org/behavioral-health/recovery-support-services/opioid-addiction/naloxone-frequently-asked-questions.
(3) How To Safely Administer Narcan - Cleveland Clinic Health Essentials. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/how-to-administer-narcan.
(4) Narcan: Dosage, How It's Given, How It Works, Uses, and More - Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/drugs/narcan.
(5) Frequently Asked Questions about Naloxone - Centers for Disease Control .... https://www.cdc.gov/stopoverdose/naloxone/faq.html.
Tuesday, January 9 Report this
staynavytom
Mr. Simpson, please continue with your very informative reporting. Use whatever words you need to describe what you see to the ordinary person reading your story. As for 911, maybe you could have made a call. But not having rational thinking at the moment you witness all of this is forgivable, in my opinion. We've all had instances where we "second-guessed" our actions after the fact. First responders get trained to overcome these situations to make on-the-spot decisions.
Tuesday, January 9 Report this
Oly1963
Seriously? Unhoused? Homeless is offensive? Wow! I agree - why are you not at all concerned that Simpson stood by while a man reached the threshold of death? Why not outrage that Simpson is trying to make a situation like this one part of our daily norm?
Let's get real about this situation - these were two people who have decided to be homeless, have decided to abuse their bodies with drugs, and who clearly do not want help out of this situation. STOP pretending that all this attention and hand outs are helping - it's not! It never is! What one of the first thing a child learns....consequences....if you do this thing, then that thing will happen. If all you ever do is rescue and reward - what choices are you offering? Complete and utter safety from consequences?
Simpson - please stop this kind of reporting - stop rewarding bad behavior as though it's a great thing - a family - seriously. That's just sick! Really, really sick!
Wednesday, January 10 Report this