AITA for calling an ambulance for a drunk coworker who later got fired?

I (27F) insisted we call 911 after a much older colleague fell, hit her head, and started bleeding outside a restaurant after a work training — and now she’s been hospitalized and fired, and some coworkers say I did it on purpose.

I’m 27 and the youngest on a sales team that spent the weekend in a hotel for training. After a long day, a few of us went to dinner; Deborah, who’s in her 50s, was at the bar and declined to join but later came outside with us. She was clearly drunk — stumbling and slurring — and when she tried to get into a car she missed the door handle, fell backward, and hit the back of her head on the pavement. She was passed out and bleeding. Some nearby coworkers wanted to just carry her into the hotel and let her sleep it off, but I was worried about a head injury and called 911. Paramedics took her to hospital; she survived but was in bad shape the next day.

I’m the youngest on a competitive sales team — I called an ambulance when an older coworker fell and hit her head after drinking at a work dinner, and now everyone is split between calling me a hero and accusing me of getting her fired.

We were at a company training weekend and the evening out felt casual, but Deborah arrived already drinking. She declined dinner but later staggered outside and tried to get into a car. She missed the handle, fell hard onto her back and hit the back of her head. The sound was horrible and she was unconscious and bleeding. A couple of younger coworkers immediately wanted to get her inside and let her sleep it off; I was worried about a head injury, so I called 911 even though others pushed back.

"She missed the door, fell straight back, and I could hear her hit the pavement — she was out and bleeding."

Paramedics transported Deborah to the hospital. I checked on her the next day and she was alive but in rough shape. When management learned she had been hospitalized after drinking during a work-related event, they terminated her employment immediately. Word spread that I was the person who insisted on calling an ambulance.

"They fired her the next day for overdrinking during a work function — and everyone knows I called the ambulance."

Now the team is split: some older colleagues tell me I saved her life and did the right thing; a few of the younger coworkers accuse me of trying to eliminate competition or of being disloyal. Management’s action has made me a lightning rod — praised by some, blamed by others — and I’m left wondering if I should have handled it differently.

🏠 The Aftermath

Deborah was taken to hospital with a head injury and alcohol intoxication; she survived but was seriously unwell at first. The company fired her after learning the incident happened during a work event.

At work: management terminated her employment, and colleagues now know I called 911. Among coworkers: some call my action responsible and courageous; others call me a snake who got a teammate fired.

Consequences include Deborah losing her job, strained relationships within the team, and me feeling isolated despite believing I followed the safest course of action.

"I called 911 because I feared a head injury — now her job is gone and people are split about why I did it."

I’m relieved she received emergency care, but I didn’t anticipate that medical care would immediately translate into disciplinary action by the employer or that I’d be accused of ulterior motives.

💭 Emotional Reflection

This situation isn’t just about drinking or policy; it’s about immediate duty of care versus longer-term workplace consequences. I acted out of concern for a possible head injury — head trauma can be life-threatening — but the result was Deborah losing her job and colleagues questioning my motives.

Could I have tried a gentler route — persuading paramedics weren’t necessary or waiting to see if she woke up? Possibly, but if she had an intracranial bleed, delaying care could have been fatal. The clash here is between protecting someone’s health in the moment and the fallout from company policies on conduct at work events.

Reasonable people may disagree: some will say emergency care was the only right choice; others will argue I should have defused the scene and handled it internally to avoid catastrophic professional consequences for Deborah.

Here’s how the community might see it:

“You called for medical help when someone hit their head and was bleeding. That’s responsible, not malicious.”

“I understand the concern about firing, but risking a head injury to save someone’s job seems wrong.”

“Maybe you could’ve checked her vitals and consulted others first, but calling an ambulance is defensible given the head wound.”

Reactions split between prioritizing immediate safety and worrying about the career consequences for a colleague, with recurring themes of workplace policy, moral duty, and trust among teammates.

🌱 Final Thoughts

Calling for emergency care felt like the only safe option when a coworker was unconscious, bleeding, and at risk of a head injury. The outcome—hospitalization and firing—was not what I wanted, but I can’t undo the choice to prioritize health in the moment.

This incident highlights how workplace culture and policies can turn a medical emergency into a disciplinary event, and how difficult it is to act in good faith when consequences are unpredictable.

What do you think?
Would you have called 911 or tried to handle it quietly to protect the coworker’s job? Share your thoughts below 👇