Rings From Woman's Amputated Arm Go Missing

After suffering horrific injuries in a car accident, 65-year-old Doris Smith had to have her left arm amputated. As if that weren't bad enough, three rings she was wearing on her left hand have now gone missing. Police, ambulance, and hospital staff are investigating the incident, but so far nobody has found a trace of the missing jewelry. Mrs. Smith's son said, "You'd like to think nobody would have stolen them with the state my mum was in. It's not so much the financial value of them — it's the sentimental value."

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[Kitkoan]

how is that news for nerds, stuff that matters?

Welcome to Slashdot Idle, Idly passing the time away

Hospital Procedure, Property Rights

[cheesethegreat]

The story itself might not seem particularly geek/news/thought-worthy until you start thinking about it.

Hospital Procedure:
What procedures are there to protect property in hospitals? Having worked in an ER, it was often "get a hospital volunteer to put clothes in a brown paper bag and write illegibly what is in there". Surely we could find better and more secure ways of doing this. We're talking about property, wallets, rings etc of a person who may be unconscious and is definitely vulnerable. Can't we

He's dead Jim

[sjames]

get his wallet!

Been there, done that

[Locke2005]

Wait, this is an old joke, isn't it? "There was this Yuppie who had a terrible accident. The police found him lying on the side of the road, crying "My Mercedes! My Mercedes!" The police pointed out, "Man, why are you moaning about your car, it looks like your left arm has been torn off!" Immediately, the man started yelling "My Rolex! My Rolex!"

Clearly unacceptable...

[jnaujok]

This is clearly unacceptable. No hospital should stand for any of their employees stealing the property of an injured person. Because, let's face it, it's in the Hospital's best interest to make sure they've got the rings so they can pawn them to pay off the hospital bills.

In other words, no amateur thieves taking what the Hospital is planning to steal later!

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[DemApples]

They probably cut the rings off in anticipation of any potential to re-attach. Doctors aren't real good about looking out for your valuables when they're focused on trying to save your life and/or arm.