So I had an interesting experience today...

[chalsall]

I was out having a "ciggy", and noticed in "real-time" a large branch of a "bread-fruit" tree falling down.

Several people ran over, and gawked through the fence.

"Was a dog or cat hurt?" ask I?

"No, a man!" said they.

I ran around the fence and found a man lying on the ground, surrounded by tree limbs and bread-fruit, and the residences of the property, complaining about a pain in his stomach.

We called an ambulance (often takes many hours here in Barbados), and gave him water, and told him not to move.

He took the water, promised to not try climbing a tree again, and was last seen running off the property with several bread-fruits under his arms...

True story....

[TheMawn]

That'll teach him to think bread is a fruit. I can see why the branch broke.

[/TROLL]

[chalsall]

Originally Posted by TheMawn

That'll teach him to think bread is a fruit. I can see why the branch broke.

You need to spend some time outside of "The Great White (Frozen) North".

Breadfruit is a large green product of a particular tree. Very starchy. You generally cook it in an open fire, and then eat it with some butter (if you can afford it).

The man fell about 10 meters out of the tree (along with the branch)...

I felt very bad for him -- he claimed he was stealing the breadfruit because he was hungry. Based on how thin he was, not an unbelievable claim.

[EdH]

Breadfruit is what started the whole Bounty adventure...

[TheMawn]

Lol jeez I was kidding. I didn't know breadfruit was a thing until I googled it after reading your story. I hope the man is okay. Trying to relieve hunger is one hell of a way to get hurt.

The amount of stuff that falls out of trees around here is really unfortunate. I'd say my family as a whole manages to recover maybe 75% of the apples that grow in our yards. We recently adopted one of my uncle's trees but for a few years we won't grow any ourselves, but between my aunt, my uncle and my grandfather, there's probably ten healthy trees spitting out apples in October. Apple jelly, apple pastries, apple sauce, etc.. We put more time into actually using them than I'm sure most people have time for.

So... around autumn time you have to pay extra attention to not step in little red piles of crap that were perfectly edible not a week before, while people like the man in your story, would definitely be very happy to take some, are worried the owners would get pissed off. Like I know they would.

If it was my tree and I wasn't using the fruit, I'd be telling him to come back and ask for a ladder next time...

[LaurV]

So, you are all talking about that exaggerated big... mulberry fruit? Looking outside like a jack fruit, but much smaller? Growing in an exaggerated big, 26 meter tall, mulberry...bush We don't know it...

[Brian-E]

Originally Posted by chalsall

We called an ambulance (often takes many hours here in Barbados), and gave him water, and told him not to move.

Not moving him was certainly the right thing to do, but my limited first aid training for this type of situation also said not to give the patient anything to eat or drink. I believe that this has to do with the possibility that the patient may need an operation. In this case, from your account, it turned out not to be the case.

[TheMawn]

Any time I've heard of people dying in an operation due to food or drink consumption it's always been a fairly big meal (a cheeseburger, once, less than an hour before).

I would still tend toward giving the man at least one glass of water.

[chalsall]

Originally Posted by TheMawn

So... around autumn time you have to pay extra attention to not step in little red piles of crap that were perfectly edible not a week before, while people like the man in your story, would definitely be very happy to take some, are worried the owners would get pissed off. Like I know they would.

Not all owners would be pissed off, but yes, indeed, many would. It's actually quite sad; rather than helping each other, there's still much fear and distrust between the "people's" (here, and of course, elsewhere).

While we were as kind as we could be to the "thief", he probably ran off before the ambulance arrived (it never did -- I don't know if it was called off) for fear of being arrested for petty larceny.

The gardener was laughing after the man ran off -- he seemed to be more concerned that he was going to have to "clean up the mess" (the fallen branches, which he will be paid to do) than for the welfare of the hungry man....

[chalsall]

Originally Posted by Brian-E

Not moving him was certainly the right thing to do, but my limited first aid training for this type of situation also said not to give the patient anything to eat or drink.

Excellent point. I will remember that if such a situation occurs in the future. Thanks.

[xilman]

Originally Posted by TheMawn

Any time I've heard of people dying in an operation due to food or drink consumption it's always been a fairly big meal (a cheeseburger, once, less than an hour before).

I would still tend toward giving the man at least one glass of water.

I believe the concern is primarily about the increased likelihood of vomiting while anaesthetised. While not invariably fatal, the results are inconvenient at the very least.