Saying “Are you all right ?” to stricken people who are clearly anything but

Gasping for breath, turning blue in the face, dizziness, palpitations , or rolling around on the ground are all signs of the stress caused by suddenly encountering somebody else in a bad way. It is no time to expect yourself to ask intelligent questions because as the first person on the scene of an accident or sudden sickness you are in shock. ‘The Quot First Aid Guide’ specifically states that verifying whether the victim is all right or not is Step One in dealing with any medical emergency.  This provides an opportunity for the victim to reply “ Yes, fine thanks” or “Just a touch of hay fever” and only if they fail to respond positively (or at all)  should you proceed to Step Two which is “ Look around for somebody else more qualified to cope with the emergency than you” . Only in the absence of a passing paramedic , district nurse or no-win-no-fee lawyer should you begin to take matters into your own hands. When the gathered crowd all start looking at you and drifting off  proceed to Step Three which is to ask the victim where it hurts and then to yank the specified limb this way and that or prod and pummel the afflicted body part . Whatever you do it must be done quickly because the bank is closing and the take-out pizza in your carrier bag will be getting cold.  For other rhetorical quot questions see “Is anyone sitting here? and ” Did you get here all right ?” 

(Malcolm Thrittle , Leominster) - QQ***