On my way home from work today around 5 pm, I drove by the "Ballard Commons" and saw a fire truck, paramedic truck, 3 or 4 SPD cars, and the street was full of police and EMT personnel - must have been at least 25 or 30 first responders there. I inched by, looking to see what sort of accident or other tragedy had taken place, just as they were wheeling the gurney out of the EMT truck. They rolled it over a few feet, to the spot under the little tree where the drunks always are, and one of the usual skanky bums stood up, wobbled a bit, and then laid down on the gurney, smiling and chatting with the EMTs like they were old pals. They strapped him in and rolled it back to the paramedics truck. I drove home.
Granted, I only got a brief look, but the guy stumbling to the gurney looked like every other drunken bum I see in that same spot in that park every day - happy, care-free, apparently blissful in his perfect Ballard paradise. I couldn't help wondering what the "medical emergency" was that warranted such a response. With all the hardware and personnel deployed, I can only imagine how much that little ride would cost *me* if I was the one getting the bill. (Of course in this case, we get to share that bill.)
Anybody know the story behind today's medical drama at the park?
