Traffic cop holds up speeding surgeon

           On Saturday, a man named Jeffrey Halstrom suffered a massive heart attack around lunchtime, and was taken to St. Michael's Hospital, where he lay on the operating table fighting for his life. Meanwhile, the surgeon who had been rushing to his rescue was waiting on the side of the road for a Toronto police officer to write him a ticket for speeding. When Halstrom was brought into the hospital, the hospital's cardiologist, Dr. Michael Kutryk, was called in. On his way, Dr. Kutryk was stopped by a radar unit while rushing from his Leaside home to help. Dr. Kutryk explained the situation to the officer, but to no avail. The officer made him wait there to issue him a $300 ticket. Const. Wendy Drummond, a police spokeswoman, said Kutryk was driving 35 km/h an hour over the posted limit of 40 km/h in the Bayview and Moore Aves. area. On Monday, Dr. Kutryk did not return any of his many phone calls, and police would not identify the officer who wrote the ticket. The top officer at the force's 53 Division, where the ticket was issued, confirmed the incident had occurred and that Kutryk had complained to him about it and was intent on fighting the fine. Staff Insp. Larry Sinclair, the division's unit commander, explained that roadside officers use their own discretion to determine whether an emergency warrants illegal speeds. However, Sinclair defended his officer, saying that the officer might have prevented an accident by stopping the doctor. "It doesn't matter if it's a physician or whoever that is on his way to what he or she considers an emergency. If he or she gets in a collision on the way to that emergency, they're no use. They're going to be tied up a lot longer than what it takes to write a ticket." Michael Oscars, Halstrom's longtime partner, recalled that "the doctor arrived a little later than he wanted to be, very upset, very angry because he had encountered a police officer. In spite of him (Kutryk) saying he was on his way to an emergency of a 47-year-old man in cardiac arrest, and that every minute counted ... the police officer either chose to disbelieve him or chose to be a moron." Oscars believes that the officer should have at least escorted Kutryk to the hospital. However, a senior Toronto officer said that police do not escort civilians at high speed because they face liability issues if there is an accident. Because of the delay and the severity of the heart attack, damage to Halstrom's heart was so severe that he was given a post-operative 50 per cent chance of survival.

          I find this situation to be very unique. While my first instinct is to believe that the police officer is a jerk, I realize that this situation is more complicated than it seems. From the doctor’s perspective, I am sure that he was pissed and extremely mad at the officer. I would be too if the same thing happened to me. However, rules are rules, and the police officer was only doing his job. The doctor was speeding, and how did the police officer know that the doctor wasn't just saying this to avoid getting the speeding ticket? Isn't the doctor supposed to have papers or some kind of document that shows that he is in fact a doctor? Maybe this could be considered the doctors fault as well for not having his papers. I think that a solution to this problem would be to give the doctor a special green light to put on the top of his car that flashes to let police officers know that he is in a rush. It is the same idea as an ambulance, and an ambulance driver doesn't get charged with speeding! Anyways, it is unfortunate that this situation happened on the way to the hospital, but I am still happy that Mr. Halstrom is alive. He is lucky to have survived the heart attack, as it was very severe with three clogged arteries. Due to the delay of the doctor’s arrival, Mr. Halstrom received lots of damage to his heart, and only has a fifty per cent chance of survival. I hope that Mr. Halstrom has a safe recovery, so that he can enjoy life even longer. I wish him the best in the future.