CPS, 911, Guardianship, and Hospitals?

rendezvous_with_leon said:

Hey everyone!

Okay, today I have a couple questions that all tie into one.

Basically there's this kid named Andy. He's 17, and he's never had a dad, and his mom and her boyfriend are extremely abusive. One time it's to an almost life-threatening point where he's got the generic bruises he always has, but on top of that he's got a really nice ('nice' as in... not nice at all) shard ('shard' as in... SHARD) of glass in his side and it's just a huge bloody mess. The MC (Leon, who is Andy's best friend) finds him and blah blah blah they have their whole "shit bro you okay!?" thing.

Which leads me to my first question. In my experiences, if you call 911 the operator normally says something like "911 what's your emergency?" and you tell them what's wrong, but the most I've ever had to call them for was my mom's ex-boyfriend trashing our front yard. Once Leon said something like "my best friend is really hurt he's bleeding bad etc." what would 911 say? The 911 operator will ask questions designed to get the most information about the injury, they will ask for your location (if your cell-phone is GPS enabled, they can get your location off of that). They will keep you on the line until the authorities arrive.

How many ambulances would come? In my area, one. Would any firemen come (since they sometimes act as first responders)? Again, in my area, a firetruck will arrive as well. If for nothing else, thay will act as security for the EMS/EMT crew. In a situation like this (wound, blood loss, possibility of foul play) the police would also arrive. Would they just leave Leon there, or tell him to come with them (he's also 17)? How the hell does this work? Depends. Andy would get stabilized and transported. The police will interview Leon, first on-site, and possibly at the police station. If Leon appears injured (or to cover their own butts) they may have the EMS/EMT team check him out. THey will ask him who/where his parent(s)/guardian is and they will contact said person to come down and collect Leon from either the site or the station.

Now leading us to the second question: hospitals. With a wound like that, would it be a really big deal with surgery and everything? Do you want it to be? Or would a few stitches do it up? If it was in far enough is there the possibility that he could have hit an important organ or something? (If so, please elaborate.) How big is this shard? How long? Where did it enter the body, at what angle, did it go in and stay, or did it move around? How long would he have to stay in the hospital? Until he's released. You can make that whatever you need.

Now! CPS and Guardianship. Obviously Leon and Leon's older brother (who is 26 and has custody of him) aren't going to let Andy keep this secret anymore. What would CPS do? They'll likely take custody of Andy (once he's released). If the police are involved (and Leon and his brother, if they really aren't going to keep quiet, are telling the police the whole history as they know it) then CPS will step in until it can be determined if criminal charges will be brought, and against whom. Andy is 17, and is turning 18 in a couple months' time, so would they still send him to a foster home? Depends on your location, but likely. Would it be possible for Haku (Leon's older brother) to have temporary guardianship over Andy, just until he turned 18? He can apply to be a legal guardian, but with Andy's birth mother available, unless she is charged with the assault, she'll get custody. Otherwise, it'll be up to the courts. Is there a possibility that they would just tell him to go on his own? Not likely.

Also, what would happen to Andy's mom and her boyfriend? Depends on what the police investigation finds. They would go to jail, right? Maybe. Would there be a court case? Maybe. Would Andy have to testify? If there is a case, maybe. How big a deal would it be? Aggravated assault? Child Abuse? Assault with a deadly weapon? How many years would they get, give or take? Depends on local statute. And why they? Are both guilty? Is there anything else that would happen that I'm unaware of?

Thank you everyone, so much! I know that's a lot.

Thanks again!
-Tabby

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rendezvous_with_leon said:

Hey everyone!

Okay, today I have a couple questions that all tie into one.

Basically there's this kid named Andy. He's 17, and he's never had a dad, and his mom and her boyfriend are extremely abusive. One time it's to an almost life-threatening point where he's got the generic bruises he always has Which makes me wonder why he isn't in child protective services already. Long term abuse, where the kid is in school, sooner or later is noticed by the school officials, and a report sent to child protective services., but on top of that he's got a really nice ('nice' as in... not nice at all) shard ('shard' as in... SHARD) of glass in his side and it's just a huge bloody mess. The MC (Leon, who is Andy's best friend) finds him and blah blah blah they have their whole "shit bro you okay!?" thing. How big? How deep? What level of consciousness? How much blood? And now for the big question. Where on his side? Because both ribs and internal parts make a great big of difference here.

Which leads me to my first question. In my experiences, if you call 911 the operator normally says something like "911 what's your emergency?" and you tell them what's wrong, but the most I've ever had to call them for was my mom's ex-boyfriend trashing our front yard. Once Leon said something like "my best friend is really hurt he's bleeding bad etc." what would 911 say? See Drachen. But also contact your local 911. Ask to go down and talk to them. They'll run you through the questions, and since the questions change depending upon your answers, it's hard to say exactly how the conversation will go.

How many ambulances would come? One. But this type of call would warrant a police response as well. No one in charge knows, at this point, how the glass got there, and at this point, assume the worse and figure it was an assault or fight. It's a lot quicker to reduce your level of response then it is to increase it.

Would any firemen come (since they sometimes act as first responders)? Depends upon how the community has set up their response. But most likely. This could be a real simple call, with a couple of band-aids to internal organs and life-threatening injuries. CPR requires a minimum of three people to work easily. Plus a driver means you want four on the rig. Basically you use the firefighters, and the engine with a driver follows to the hospital with traffic.

Would they just leave Leon there, or tell him to come with them (he's also 17)? How the hell does this work? Why would they take him? But what the police would do to him, I don't know. But even if the police don't show up, I'd want police response here. I don't care what story the two dudes come up with, as an EMT I don't have to decide how believable their stories are. But I'm going to have some doubts about what they're telling me. And this is how the police earn the big bucks.

Now leading us to the second question: hospitals. With a wound like that, would it be a really big deal with surgery and everything? Or would a few stitches do it up? If it was in far enough is there the possibility that he could have hit an important organ or something? (If so, please elaborate.) How long would he have to stay in the hospital? What does your plot need? You can get stab wounds that go in fairly deep that are just irrigated and stitched. But that means missing anything of importance and that's hard to do. It also depends upon how hard the glass is going to be to extract. Plus you have to make sure that any tiny shards of glass are removed. Probably the removal would be done in surgery, with everybody keeping their figures crossed that nothing goes wrong.

Now! CPS and Guardianship. Obviously Leon and Leon's older brother (who is 26 and has custody of him) aren't going to let Andy keep this secret anymore. What would CPS do? File an abuse case against mom and request immediate custody. Criminal charges would also probably be happening. Remember that the police are involved.

Andy is 17, and is turning 18 in a couple months' time, so would they still send him to a foster home? It depends. First issue is going to be the state and what level, if any, of emancipation happens at age 17. Second is going to be what family members are available. Third is Andy's level of maturity. Fourth is possibility of friends. Probably initially they'd stall him in the hospital for a day or two to see what they can arrange.

Would it be possible for Haku (Leon's older brother) to have temporary guardianship over Andy, just until he turned 18? Maybe, but it involves a whole hell of a lot of pieces coming together to make it work. Starting point is going to be finding an older adult who would vouch for Haku. It's been done, but it's the exception to the rule.

Is there a possibility that they would just tell him to go on his own? No. Child protective services is responsible for Andy's safety.

Also, what would happen to Andy's mom and her boyfriend? It depends. They would go to jail, right? Maybe. Would there be a court case? Yes. Would Andy have to testify? Yes. How big a deal would it be? How many years would they get, give or take? It depends. Depends upon prior criminal record, level of injuries, credibility of Andy, how solid is the case, zeal of the prosecutor. Bruises are probably just going to end up as a misdemeanor. Is there anything else that would happen that I'm unaware of?

Thank you everyone, so much! I know that's a lot.

Thanks again!
-Tabby

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