It’s always tricky to know the right thing to do when you’re in an emergency situation.

If you were in the emergency room and a patient asked you to get them something to eat or drink, would you do it? Or would you refuse since you’re not a doctor or nurse and don’t know if it’s okay for them to eat or drink something at that moment?

Read how one Redditor in this situation followed the rules, and it got him into a pickle

AITA For refusing someone a drink in the hospital?

I was in the emergency ward a few months ago because a car hit me while I was cycling home.

They were at fault and brought me to the hospital in case of hidden injuries because I made quite the tumble and my neck hurt really bad.

That’s when this patient met someone they’d never forget.

After all the scans, we were waiting for the results, and there was this other guy in a similar situation.

I’m not sure what happened to him, but he was also waiting for the results to come back.

He started to feel dizzy, and with no one accompanying him, he asked for my mother if she could get him a cola.

But the OP had noticed very specific signage at the emergency ward.

Now, when at the emergency ward, this hospital asks to not drink or eat anything before you are cleared to do so.

I told my mom to get the nurse instead.

The nurses were taking way too long, and the guy kept begging for a cola. He really was looking pale, too.

But this Redditor kept strong on their stance.

I was torn between getting it for him, and the fear of doing wrong by him. But I kept a stance with my initial opinion, especially because it was very hard for the guy to say why exactly he needed the cola so badly.

Two other guys wanted to give him a sip of their Red Bull, and I said that was even worse.

The guy asked for something to eat instead because he had not eaten yet either.

We already rang the alarm bell that this was an emergency because he was slowly starting to pass out, and eventually, the nurses came.

But the rest of the room had opinions on the OP.

But everyone was mad at me because the nurses gave him cola because he was diabetic.

My mother’s argument is that he knows his body best and is not asking for cola for no reason.

My argument was that he was in the hospital for something we did not know, and I did not want to end up giving him something that could speed up something bad.

And it did beg a certain question…

Why else would there be signs to not eat or drink before you are told by a nurse that you are allowed?

I still feel bad and like I was the cause for the guy to get near to passing out, possibly worse.

I denied this guy multiple drinks and a snack to only find out it would have been fine in the end.

Was I the jerk?

Was this patient rude for denying this man a drink or did they have his best interest in mind? Let’s read the comments below to find out what Reddit thinks on the matter.

Reddit overwhelmingly said “NTA.”

This matter was worth the wait…

A real nurse even weighed in!

And one person had their own example of a drink gone wrong.

This person was right to follow the rules.

If you liked this post, you might want to read this story about a teacher who taught the school’s administration a lesson after they made a sick kid take a final exam.