Skip to main content

Was the Alec Baldwin Shooting Accidental?

Even casual followers of the news are aware that actor Alec Baldwin killed one associate and wounded another during a film rehearsal.  It was a horrible tragedy that captured the nation’s attention.  How could such a thing happen? This is the same question we ask when we learn that a surgeon has removed the wrong kidney.  

I’ll leave aside how much attention this tragedy has received in comparison to the intentional killings that occur daily in cities throughout the country.  While all lives are equal, it does not seem that every life receives the same attention.

Based on what is now known, it does not seem to me that this shooting was a mere accident that occurred from pure happenstance.  Of course, the shooting was not intentional, but it appears that there was a reckless disregard of established firearm safety protocols.  Investigators will surely discover how a live bullet ended up in Alec Baldwin’s gun.  More facts are emerging daily that indicate a laxity of gun safety and multiple deviations from industry standards.  I suspect that the ongoing investigation will only further highlight the negligent behaviors that culminated in a tragic homicide that should never have occurred.  Criminal charges are possible.

If my tire is punctured while driving and my car hits a tree, this is an accident.

If I notice that my front tire is deflated, and I take it for a drive anyway, is it still an accident if the tire blows and I hit a tree?

Live Rounds on the Set?


I’ll admit that I don’t know much about filmmaking, and I know even less about firearms.  But, I know quite a bit about safety processes and protocols to minimize the risk of adverse events.  We are all aware that airline pilots methodically run through a checklist before every flight to verify that everything is in proper order.  We would likely feel less secure if pilots simply took a quick scan of the cockpit and then flashed us a thumbs up.  This checklist is the result of intense research and experience and is designed to catch any item that is out of line.  The key is that this process must be faithfully executed every time without exception. 

Physicians understand this process well.  Before every surgery or medical procedure, the team participates in a ‘time out’, when the patient’s identify is confirmed as well as the intended procedure and any potentially complicating factors.  Does the x-ray with the broken hip hanging in the operating room correspond to the patient about to be put under?  Complacency and indifference can lead to tragic outcomes. We have all heard about patients who had the wrong organ removed or received medication intended for another patient.  The checklist procedure minimizes the risks of these outcomes.

I surmise that the results of the Alec Baldwin investigation will show serial deviations of process that involved multiple individuals all of which led to a horrible outcome.  Does this sound like an accident to you?

 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

When Should Doctors Retire?

I am asked with some regularity whether I am aiming to retire in the near term.  Years ago, I never received such inquiries.  Why now?   Might it be because my coiffure and goatee – although finely-manicured – has long entered the gray area?  Could it be because many other even younger physicians have given up their stethoscopes for lives of leisure? (Hopefully, my inquiring patients are not suspecting me of professional performance lapses!) Interestingly, a nurse in my office recently approached me and asked me sotto voce that she heard I was retiring.    “Interesting,” I remarked.   Since I was unaware of this retirement news, I asked her when would be my last day at work.   I have no idea where this erroneous rumor originated from.   I requested that my nurse-friend contact her flawed intel source and set him or her straight.   Retirement might seem tempting to me as I have so many other interests.   Indeed, reading and studying, two longstanding personal pleasures, could be ext

The VIP Syndrome Threatens Doctors' Health

Over the years, I have treated various medical professionals from physicians to nurses to veterinarians to optometrists and to occasional medical residents in training. Are these folks different from other patients?  Are there specific challenges treating folks who have a deep knowledge of the medical profession?   Are their unique risks to be wary of when the patient is a medical professional? First, it’s still a running joke in the profession that if a medical student develops an ordinary symptom, then he worries that he has a horrible disease.  This is because the student’s experience in the hospital and the required reading are predominantly devoted to serious illnesses.  So, if the student develops some constipation, for example, he may fear that he has a bowel blockage, similar to one of his patients on the ward.. More experienced medical professionals may also bring above average anxiety to the office visit.  Physicians, after all, are members of the human species.  A pulmon

Should Doctors Wear White Coats?

Many professions can be easily identified by their uniforms or state of dress. Consider how easy it is for us to identify a policeman, a judge, a baseball player, a housekeeper, a chef, or a soldier.  There must be a reason why so many professions require a uniform.  Presumably, it is to create team spirit among colleagues and to communicate a message to the clientele.  It certainly doesn’t enhance professional performance.  For instance, do we think if a judge ditches the robe and is wearing jeans and a T-shirt, that he or she cannot issue sage rulings?  If members of a baseball team showed up dressed in comfortable street clothes, would they commit more errors or achieve fewer hits?  The medical profession for most of its existence has had its own uniform.   Male doctors donned a shirt and tie and all doctors wore the iconic white coat.   The stated reason was that this created an aura of professionalism that inspired confidence in patients and their families.   Indeed, even today