There are so many ways one can end up in the hospital. Especially in the summer now that we’re swimming, biking, and are just much more active.

So when a Quora user asked everyone on the platform “What’s the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever witnessed in the waiting area at the ER?”, many people had a story to share.

Read More: 30 People Share The Most Ridiculous Things They Have Ever Seen In An ER

#1

Actually, three of my girlfriends and I were the sideshow in an ER waiting room.

We were with about 200 people doing a medieval re-enactment when a friend of ours accidentally ate something with cinnamon in it – and he is deathly allergic to it. One of us was a nurse, and even with her quick action with an epi pen, he still needed to go to the ER. So, one guy in Viking clothes and armor, and four women in varying outfits from India (mine) to early Celtic, to Imperial Roman, to 14th century French, all troop into the closest hospital ER – and it was in a really, realllly rural area of Georgia.

Being the only hospital within at least fifty miles of anything, they were predictably busy on a Saturday afternoon. We were there for hours and bored out of our minds. We’re all gifted with warped Monty Python humor, and so we started riffing on it. I started talking about how “our husband” was doing, and that I hoped he would be alright, because I wasn’t prepared to jump on his funeral pyre. (Mine was also the “blingiest” outfit, so I was First Wife by default. We referred to each other as First Wife, Second Wife, etc.) The other people in the waiting room were gawking at us like we’d all grown third eyes and horns.) It was just too good to pass up – we had SO MUCH FUN with it. By the time our friend got sent back out, we had all jumped up and started fawning on him – our beloved husband! Alive! What joy! I didn’t have to burn myself up! He didn’t skip a beat, got two of us under each arm, and we all left, rejoicing – and probably giving the locals a bizarre story to tell.

Image credits: Ellen Wolf

#2

How about Saddest?

The day I rushed my husband into the ER, it was swamped – every bed was full and the hallway too. We were lower priority, and he was stable, so we waited.

We happened to be right across the Isolation aka contageous room. For 2 hours I listened behind our curtain of baby after baby crying and coughing with Whooping Cough. I lost count at 20. I found out later, our city had an epidemic of cases. It was by far the most devastating sound one can ever hear. Vacinate your babies.

Image credits: Wendy Crow

#3

I had fallen the day before this incident, and had broken my arm; it wasn’t a bad break, I didn’t even realize how badly I had injured it until the next morning, when I went to the ER of what was supposed to be the best hospital in our area.

As I was sitting, awaiting my turn, the other people in the waiting room were with children with the sniffles. No likely fevers, the kids were all playing with their toys or looking at books.

Then the REAL injury came in. This was a boy, about 10 years old. He had scrapes on his arms and legs, had obviously broken an arm, and looked as if his ribs were likely broken as well. The front wheel had come off his bicycle as he was coasting down a steep hill in his neighborhood…the town was in the foothills of a mountain chain. Not naming it deliberately, btw. The boy’s mother got a wheel chair from the ER to bring him in, since he could barely stand.

A few minutes later, an elderly lady walked in, and the ER nurse kicked the boy out of the chair because “this lady needs it more than you do!”

At that point, I was called to the admissions desk for my turn; I asked why they were not checking out the boy who was obviously seriously injured. The reason: it wasn’t his turn!

I gave him my space over the objections of the ER nurse, and I spoke to the hospital administrator about their nonexistent triage team.

Image credits: Evelyn Metzger

#4

It was Halloween,

Some of the staff got permission to wear silly costumes, as long as certain regulations held up. (Understandable since no one wants a doctor dressed up as a killer clown to treat them)

I was checking on patients waiting in the ER, trying to make sure they have their insurance cards, water and some medicine if they needed it.

There was many people wearing costumes as well, some were funny, others were sexy, all around it was a crazy Halloween for sure.

Then I noticed a man sitting alone by himself. He probably came in with a friend and is waiting for news updates. So I went to visit him. He looked like your average butcher accident costume. White apron woth fake blood sprayed all over, molty hair and the obligatory big plastic butchers knife in the head.

I asked who he’s with or what he’s waiting on, and he replied “I’m waiting for this to be removed.” He said pointing to the prop sitting on top of his head. Some of my associates giggle. And I smile. “Yeah we will get that removed.” I say as I check his skull. I noticed that his costume does seem better dressed, he even applied fake blood to where the butchers knife curves along his skull so it sat on his head. Then it slowly dawned on me, it was not plastic, it was pure metal, that was real blood that was on the side of his head and the knife was indeed lodged in the top of his skull.

I reported this to the head nurse who came to use a metal detector wand and sure enough it was real, he was pushed up for next in line and was treated. The blade cut into his skull but not fully, still a millimeter and it would have been in the cranium.

Image credits: Matthew Rodriguez

#5

When I broke my arm, I was on my own, and called a friend, who is great in a crisis, but otherwise, shall we say eccentric. She turned up in the E.R. dressed like Morticia Adams. People noticed.

Image credits: Jean Martin

#6

A man walked into the ER with a non-emergent complaint and after being evaluated by the triage nurse was reassured and asked to take a seat in the busy waiting room. After a brief wait he walked over to the pay phone on the wall (pre cellphone era) and dialed 911. The ambulance soon arrived scooped him up and drove around the corner of the building to the ambulance entrance. Here he was unloaded placed in a hallway ( all beds being already occupied) where a separate nurse evaluated his presentation and complaint. Agreeing with the triage nurse he was ushered back into the waiting room and asked to take a seat and wait his turn. Now he had an additional $300.- ambulance bill.

Image credits: Ralph Croskey

#7

That had to be me. I was suddenly panting and so out breath while going up the stairs. I became increasingly weak, and my heart was rapidly pounding. We took my oxygen level with an oximeter. 83%. So my husband hooked me up to his oxygen tank, and my oxygen levels went up to 91%. I rested. He called his doctor-son to describe my symptoms. “It’s a pulmomary embolism!! ER NOW!!”

We should’ve called 911 right then. I needed professional medical transport with EMT care. Tick, tick, tick…I literally had minutes, if not seconds, to live. We piled into our car and husband drove us to the ER 20 miles away. Stopping for traffic lights.

We get to the ER and it’s packed. My husband had grabbed a wheelchair to wheel me in from the car, as I could no longer stand up.

We went up to the admitting desk. My husband told them urgently that I was having a PE. The admitting clerk just looked at me passively and told me, basically, to take a number. No kidding.

Half an hour went by, and I’m slumping over in the chair, literally turning blue. When it became my “turn” to be taken back for examination, the whole ER team back there exploded with action, consternation and incredulity. They couldn’t believe I was left to sit out there without even being given oxygen. They also couldn’t believe I was still alive, as Xrays and scan showed I had thrown multiple PEs. They called in a special surgical-strike team (literally called up outta their beds that night) and whisked me off to surgery, leaving my husband to stand there slack-jawed. Fortunately for me, this clot-busting team functioned as precisely and quickly as any NASCAR pit crew. !!!

If you have a medical emergency as I did, or even suspect that you do, call 911 and go to ER by ambulance!! I would’ve been in surgery and care an hour sooner if we had done that. Geez, talk about stoopid. But it was ridiculous that I was left out in the ER waiting room slumped over in a wheel chair, actually turning blue. Duh.

Image credits: Barbara Anderson

#8

Once an inpatient wandered through the ER waiting area, pushing his IV stand, and he tripped on the cord. He was recovering from major abdominal surgery and when he tripped, his sutures tore. Out came his entrails!

I have no idea how a person in that condition was up and about, but the poor guy was elderly and may have wandered out of bed.

There is nothing to prepare you for the sight of spilling entrails. Nothing; it was ghastly. Someone passed out; people were vomiting. I’ve seen a lot of stuff and I got lightheaded.

Image credits: David Cannon

#9

I’m sorry to say that once while applying for a Physicians Assistant at (un-named hospital in Los Angeles) very Good and hard program to get in too! I witnessed patient care at its most EVIL & lowest spot on Earth!

A frail homeless woman had been waiting to be seen in this ER for a ridiculous amount of time, something in the neighborhood of 20 hours. No reassessment! No kind words! No looking to see if she was ok! FINALLY….she hadn’t moved for a while and Another patient told the staff and they did nothing! So….some security officer Dialed 911! Are you reading this? Because as a Paramedic also. I too have been called to an emergency room on a 911 call (separate yet equally ridiculous reason!).

Anyway back to our story. When the Fire Department arrived they pronounced the lady DEAD! Yes she was dead and had been dead for a long time in the emergency room while waiting for care!!! This really causes sensation the hospital ended up closing losing its charter and I chose not to go there for my training. In fact it was a pivotal point in my career because I became a fireman and a paramedic! Lesson learned? People should not die if they go to the emergency room from waiting!

Image credits: Mark Kram

#10

In purely the ER waiting room area, the area where triage and pre-admittance is done but after admission/reception area.

Would have had to have been a little old grandma having a three way armed standoff with taser armed hospital police, her knife wielding bogan family and her handbag swinging self.

She didn’t want to go into a nursing home but also didn’t want to go back with the bogan family. Her family didn’t want her to go anywhere lest they loose her government payments. And the hospital was like, calm down and we will talk this out.

In the end she was admitted for a broken wrist, eventually moved into a respite house. Family was not happy.

Image credits: Ross Pettit

#11

This is one of those “It would be funny if it wasn’t so sad,” stories.

I was working as a chaplain at a hospital in the Chicago area. This was before young doctors got much training in making death notifications, at least in the hospitals where I worked. This particular evening, a young doctor was making his first solo notification. I waited with the family in the ER “Family Room” for someone to tell them what was happening with their 80-year-old grandma.

In comes the young resident. We can see from his face it’s not good news (I already knew she’d died, but I wasn’t allowed to say anything). Most people these days have seen TV or movie scenes where a doctor tells a family something like, “We utilized all of our capabilities, but her heart was too badly damaged and we were unable to save her.” Well, this poor resident must have really wanted the family to know they’d done all they could. He described in great detail every place they’d tried to insert an IV, cut into her, inserted catheters, etc.” The family was sitting there looking increasingly horrified as he described what they heard as the ways Granny had been tortured in her last minutes.

I finally spoke up and said, “Thank you, Doctor. I’ll let you know if the family has any questions,” and opened the door for him to leave. Later, after the family left, I spoke with a nurse friend of mine who made sure the doctor received a little more coaching.

I really felt sorry for everyone involved, including the resident. He was trying to make things better for the family. He really just tried too hard.

Image credits: Jon Meyer

#12

When my daughter was 7 she and her sisters got it into there heads that bushes were green fluffy clouds and they should jump in them. Well 2 of the girls were fine the 3rd got a branch stuck in her leg…in the er we were in line behind a man who looked like he was having a heart attack…were all in the waiting area as they made him take a number too…

and she’s bleeding quite badly a nurse comes up and says she’s getting blood on the floor can’t you do something about that?…she walks past the guy clutching his chest and calls the next number…he dies flopped on the floor about 10 mins later …we waited over a hour after that and no one came for him I complained and was told to go wait for my number to be called and not bother the desk…when we finally went back I again complained about the man on the floor but to the head nurse this time and they finally sent somebody out to the waiting room to check on him…. So the nurse that complained my daughter was bleeding in the waiting room complained that she was dripping blood all over the hall and into the room…I finally said I know she’s bleeding this much that’s why were here….

shortly after that the hospital was under new management and is a much nicer place. My daughter got the branch and splinters removed and they got the wound packed and put her on antibiotics…today she barely has a scar…I herd the guys family sued the hospital…

Image credits: Odie Smith

#13

Unfortunately, as someone who has both been there for myself and my family, I’ve seen a lot of weird stuff.

I was there for a visibly broken arm, patiently waiting (even though I was soaked in sweat from pain), because you know it’s an ER and more life threatening cases go first.

There was a couple there, I’d say mid 30’s. A big guy was moaning and groaning about his chest and stomach hurting. His wife kept yelling her head off about how he was dying, having a heart attack, and he needed help immediately. But they’ve been waiting 25 minutes, she’s gonna sue, she’s going to call the cops, she’s going to fight the staff to get him seen.

I sat there concerned, as he had been triaged but he was waiting for a bed to open up and admittedly, for someone having a heart attack, time is of the essence.

Suddenly, he threw up all over the floor of the waiting room… then let out the biggest belch I’ve ever heard. After that, he said he felt fine and wanted to leave.

Next, they called both him and me back. We ended up sharing a double exam room.

The doctor explained to the man that the EKG was fine, all his blood work was normal. They wanted to keep him overnight anyway, to monitor his condition. He refused, saying he knows it’s not his heart, but wouldn’t say why. His wife shouted them both down and got him admitted. Then she went home because they had little ones that she had to pick up from the neighbor’s. When she left, he told the doctor what he did. On a dare with his friends, he swallowed a bunch of seltzer tablets and chugged a 2 liter of cola.

His problem was he had bad gas. The doctor recommended he didn’t do that anymore, then washed his hands and came to my side of the room with a look of disgust on his face he couldn’t hide.

Me on the other hand, arm broken in 4 places. Went home 30 minutes later.

Image credits: Goldie Medick

#14

After being treated I was waiting in A&E as we call it and a man rushed in with a paper bag and said to the woman “I have Mr +++++ Fingers here”

The woman searched the cubicles and returned saying “We don’t have Mr+++++ here.

Mr+++++ had gone to one hospital and the fingers to another!

Image credits: Bob Coombs

#15

i took my husband to the ER about 7 weeks ago in the midst of a stroke. It was his second stroke, I knew what it was and that time was critical. An ambulance would have cost us time we didn’t have. While I was driving, I called the hospital ER and told them we were less than 10 minutes away, he was having a stroke and I would need help getting him into the hospital. They said to pull up and let them know they would take him. I pulled up, put the car in park and ran into the ER waiting room. Then I stood in line for 5 minutes behind an obviously high woman who was pestering the admissions clerk about whether she could call her mom again. When I got to the admitting clerk, I identified myself, said I needed a wheelchair for my husband, and that I was prepared to fill out all his paperwork, please just get him into the hospital. 7 minutes later, someone came and rolled the wheelchair that I wasn’t allowed to touch out to get him. We had to wait in line again behind the same woman to get the wristband put on him. When they came out to get him a few minutes later, a young woman said rather loudly, “they always take the white people first”.

We missed the window for the clot busting drugs by 5 minutes.

I know hospital workers do the best they can. But there needs to be a way for an emergency room to treat an emergency.

Image credits: Marsha Jackson

#16

Ok. Urban myths aside.

I was genuinely sat in A&E with my daughter after she broke her arm skiing.

Ambulance crew wheeled a gentleman through in a wheelchair with a blanket over him. But you could clearly see the vacuum cleaner attachment hanging out of the bottom.

Image credits: Robert Bone

#17

At a major city’s public hospital, 1974. A construction worker from nearby came in the ER waiting room to use the pay phone. The worker was wearing bib overalls. He dropped a coin on the floor. When he bent over to pick it up, a small .25 cal automatic pistol fell out of the bib pocket. When the junker pistol hit the concrete floor, it discharged… And the bullet hit the worker, so in effect he shot himself, and the bad news wasn’t over. After the ER patched him up, the police arrested him on a gun charge and took him to jail.

Image credits: Lewis Moseley

#18

Before smoking was stopped inside hospitals I saw three women smoking while leaning against a trolley of oxygen cylinders until security saw them and made them extinguish the cigarettes and they could not see what the problem was.

Image credits: Roger Smith

#19

This 55 year old average looking white man came into emergency who was shot- in the stomach- blood everywhere and the guy was absolutely freaking out thinking he was going to die. He waited about 6 hours moaning and desperate.. he begged the nurses for help and get irrational/scared they told him they didn’t tolerate abuse and then he finally just left because the hospital was ‘too busy’ to help him- he was better off going 30kms away to a diff hospital.

Hope he is still alive out there somewhere.

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Image credits: Thats-Insane