Posted on 12/07/2012 8:30:27 AM PST by Red Badger
THE nurse who took a prank call from two Australian DJs asking about the pregnant Duchess of Cambridge has been found dead this morning.
Tragic Jacintha Saldanha, 46, is believed to have committed suicide as police are not treating the death as suspicious.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were said to be deeply saddened" by the death of Jacintha, described by the hospital as an "excellent nurse" who was "well respected and popular" with colleagues.
DJs Mel Greig and Michael Christian made the prank call from Down Under, impersonating Prince Charles and the Queen to get information about Kate's condition.
The duo whose station is notorious for courting controversy were amazed when their dodgy uppercrust British accents got them put through to Kate's ward.
Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4686549/tragedy-as-woman-who-answered-Kate-hoax-found-dead.html#ixzz2ENsDNpy1
“I think she was killed because she saw the x-rays and sonigrams of the Baby. She saw two fetus, one a doberman pincer and the other a small boy with 666 on its head.”
We know she had motive and as Queen she can effortlessly travel to the victim’s residence. Want to bet she wont provide an alibi for the time of death?
I certainly hope the next death of a fellow human being is far more entertaining for you...
did your post cause the person to kill themselves? if the answer is yes then yes IF it can be proven.
The DJ’s have the liability and a case can be brought to court. Proof sufficient to carry the burden standard is a different issue altogether.
That is eggshell skull principle.
It is looooooooooong established in the courts.
This is just horrible. I wonder if the hospital did chew her out, thinking that the royal fmily would no longer have them as “hospital of choice.” Shame on the hospital administrators if so.no one prepped this woman; she just answered the phone and did her best.
I’d think just taking that call and being fooled wouldn’t cause such shame, but being told she might ruin the hospital’s reputation could. She was probably a very conscientious worker. I hope someone talks about what the hospital may have said.
I don’t think you can say that “this was just a prank call”. It was recorded, played on a major radio station and made international headlines.
“The DJs have the liability and a case can be brought to court. Proof sufficient to carry the burden standard is a different issue altogether.”
Its true that they may have a problem in Civil court since the burden of proof is less, at least in the US, dont know about England. If it goes to court they may to try them in absentia since there may be extradition issues.
The radio jerks made it worse with their BS “apology”.
perhaps it was just so unthinkable.
but for their prank she would not be subject to such ridicule. The fact that she was of a mind to committ suicide over the issue is the DJ’s problem not hers.
Why are you blaming the victim? This woman was not a public figure. She was professionally and publicly humiliated.
It’s so easy for us to monday morning quarterback what her reaction should be but we didn’t walk a mile in her shoes.
actually it may be easier in criminal court.
England allows for eggshell skull principles.
There is nothing stopping a dual track path where both are pursued.
The COULD have forseen that this woman’s life would be destroyed by their prank. They COULD have forseen people would be fired because of this prank.
It is looooooooooong established in the courts.
You must agree that suicude is an extreme rxn to falling for a prank call.
^ 708 F.2d 1217, citing Prosser, Handbook of the Law of Torts 261 (4th ed. 1971)
from canada too:
http://www.canlii.org/en/ca/scc/doc/1996/1996canlii183/1996canlii183.html
This appeal involved a straightforward application of the thin skull rule. The pre-existing disposition may have aggravated the injuries, but the defendant must take the plaintiff as he finds him. If the defendants negligence exacerbated the existing condition and caused it to manifest in a disc herniation, then the defendant is a cause of the disc herniation and is fully liable.
Schmude v. Tricam Indus., 556 F.3d 624, 628 (7th Cir. Wis. 2009)If a tortfeasor inflicts a graver loss on his victim than one would have expected because the victim had some pre-existing vulnerability, that is the tortfeasor’s bad luck; you take your victim as you find him.
see also the young girl who suicided as a result of cyber stalking/bullying by her peers.
The liability is crystal clear.
Sorry, the era of prank calls has pretty much come to an end. Today they are more correctly seen as vicious harassment and bullying, not “pranks”.
Not too long ago, radicals were calling military families with soldiers fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, pretending to be from the Red Cross or the military, and telling them that their family member had been killed.
Some radio stations were doing things like calling up people and telling them that their significant other was cheating on them; or were acting as proxies when one person wanted to break up with another. “Your boyfriend asked us to tell you that it’s over and he doesn’t want to see or talk to you anymore.”
Such “pranks” are intentionally designed to cause hurt, strife, deep humiliation or even violence.
As if they knew that the prank would cause her to commit suicide or any other kind of harm. Come on. This women transferred the call through to the nurse who gave the information to the DJ's about Middleton's condition.
She wasn't even on the radio. Something loose in this women's mind was the only thing that you should blame for this suicide leaving a Husband and two young children to pick up the pieces.
It's possible, that a butt chewing was not the worst of her problems. Breaking patient confidentiality could have been a career ending mistake for this young woman.
That would certainly be more likely to lead her to suicide than just a butt chewing.
Seems as if the middle schools closed early for “Winter Holiday” this year, it’s raining outside and the juveniles are bored.
or Hugh Jorgan
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