TX - Diner collapses while eating at steak restaurant - staff dumped his body outside to die instead of calling 911

[MelmothTheLost]

A man collapsed at a Texas steakhouse, but instead of dialing 911, employees dumped his body outside and left him for dead, according to police.

Just a week before his 35th birthday, Jessie Mobley, Jr., dined at KFFO Afro Steakhouse in Houston - but he never made it out alive.

Mobley ate a meal at the restaurant, known for its West African cuisine, on August 7 before suddenly passing out at the table.

Staff then picked up the man, who they believed was homeless, and placed him and his belongings outside a local beauty school, according to police records obtained by the Houston Chronicle.

Diner collapses at steak restaurant - but staff left his body outside

Jessie Mobley, Jr., was enjoying a meal at t KFFO Afro Steakhouse in Houston, Texas on August 7 when he suddenly collapsed. Instead of calling for help, staff left his dead body outside.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[MelmothTheLost]

A Houston restaurant carried a passed-out man outside, where he died. Why didn't staff call 911?​

Jessie Mobley, Jr. walked into KFFO Afro Steakhouse on Aug. 7, a week before his 35th birthday.

His dad and stepmom, who called him Little (Jessie Mobley, Sr. was Big), were thinking of where to take him out for the occasion. His aunt, with whom he lived, was planning to treat him to dinner looking over the ocean on the Kemah boardwalk, their special place since he was a child.

But that night, video footage showed, after eating a meal at the West African restaurant known for its spicy grilled meats and its late-night hours, Mobley passed out at the table. According to police records, restaurant staff, believing he was homeless, picked the young man up and placed him and his backpack on the ground outside the nearby beauty school. At no time did they call 911, said a police spokesperson.

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/article/jessie-mobley-death-restaurant-presumed-homeless-21018196.php

 

[MiamiGuy50]

I wonder if they thought it was their way out of liability of lawsuit

 

[MelmothTheLost]

I wonder if they thought it was their way out of liability of lawsuit

Or feared being billed for calling out an ambulance?

 

[Soulmagent]

It's Texas.
They dont call 911.
At least thats what all the signs on the front doors there tells ya as you arrive at the stoop.
Seriously , more than one person help make this become a thing?

 

[teeby]

This is awful. How sad. Did they think he was just sleeping or drunk and didn't realize he needed medical attention? I once called 911 because someone was slumped across the grass by the sidewalk, half in the road, and did not respond when I tapped his shoulder and called "hey! Are you ok?" like they tell you in CPR class. The ambulance showed up and the EMTs shook him like a rag doll and yelled at the top of their lungs and he woke up. It turns out he was just drunk and I wasn't being loud enough. He walked a block down the road and then sat down next to a tree and went back to sleep. I felt like an idiot but I would have felt way worse if I hadn't done anything and he actually had needed help.

 

[mickey2942]

This is awful. How sad. Did they think he was just sleeping or drunk and didn't realize he needed medical attention? I once called 911 because someone was slumped across the grass by the sidewalk, half in the road, and did not respond when I tapped his shoulder and called "hey! Are you ok?" like they tell you in CPR class. The ambulance showed up and the EMTs shook him like a rag doll and yelled at the top of their lungs and he woke up. It turns out he was just drunk and I wasn't being loud enough. He walked a block down the road and then sat down next to a tree and went back to sleep. I felt like an idiot but I would have felt way worse if I hadn't done anything and he actually had needed help.

Same thing happened to me. I heard a guy yelling on the corner he was going to "die", he was in a wheelchair, in the snow, I pulled him into the lobby of the hotel we were staying at, yelling to call "911".

The staff nonchalantly called EMS, who came, put the guy on the stretcher. Apparently, that was his "corner", and he was always yelling that.

So much for my rescue response. Who knew?!

 

[Curiousraccoon]

It's Texas.
They dont call 911.
At least thats what all the signs on the front doors there tells ya as you arrive at the stoop.
Seriously , more than one person help make this become a thing?

I'm sorry but could you please explain this, if you have more information? I'm not from the US and I have never heard such a thing. I thought it would be illegal not to call for help.

 

[MelmothTheLost]

I'm sorry but could you please explain this, if you have more information? I'm not from the US and I have never heard such a thing. I thought it would be illegal not to call for help.

The obligations seem to vary by country and between jurisdictions based on English Common Law and those based on a Civil Code.

Good Samaritan law - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Curiousraccoon]

The obligations seem to vary by country and between jurisdictions based on English Common Law and those based on a Civil Code.

Good Samaritan law - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Thank you, this is very helpful.

I was naive to think duty of rescue was applicable everywhere (or at least everywhere in the developed world).

So in most US States (and in fact in most countries in the world) you could die in front of someone, in fact in public, and no one has to call 911 let alone try to resuscitate you? What if the ill person is unconscious or otherwise unable to call the ambulance themselves, what are they to do...

This is a harsh world. SMH.

 

[MelmothTheLost]

Thank you, this is very helpful.

I was naive to think duty of rescue was applicable everywhere (or at least everywhere in the developed world).

So in most US States (and in fact in most countries in the world) you could die in front of someone, in fact in public, and no one has to call 911 let alone try to resuscitate you? What if the ill person is unconscious or otherwise unable to call the ambulance themselves, what are they to do...

This is a harsh world. SMH.

There do seem to be two basic approaches adopted internationally.

Good Samaritan - there is no legal obligation to get involved but if you do, and do so in good faith, you cannot be held accountable for the outcome. I guess an example of this is where you administer CPR to a heart attack victim who survives but is left brain damaged by oxygen starvation. In this case the family could not sue for damages etc.

Duty of Rescue - there is a general obligation to get involved but again a member of the public is held not to be liable for the outcome.

In both cases, the assumption is that nobody is obliged to get involved if there is a personal risk in doing so - which is obviously a greater consideration for women and young people.

 

[slowpoke]

I'm sorry but could you please explain this, if you have more information? I'm not from the US and I have never heard such a thing. I thought it would be illegal not to call for help.

I am in another state in the US and didn’t know about such signs, so I googled it.

An article from last month talks about these signs. (LINK)

 

[Warwick1991]

I would think the restaurant could be sued. It is possible that their negligence contributed to his death, and prevented him from getting help. It would be an interesting case, and I think there are probably some statutes that could be applied. Possibly negligent homicide.

 

[Warwick1991]

Or feared being billed for calling out an ambulance?

The restaurant can't be billed for an ambulance call - only the person transported.

 

[Warwick1991]

I am in another state in the US and didn’t know about such signs, so I googled it.

An article from last month talks about these signs. (LINK)

View attachment 615795

People in Texas have these signs, but they can result in trouble for those who post them on their property. If they shoot someone on their property - even a criminal - and don't call police, they can be charged with murder in some situations. The signs do not have the force of law.

 

[Warwick1991]

Apparently, at least one local attorney thinks the restaurant has civil liability.

Death investigation

death investigation news stories - get the latest updates from ABC13.

abc13.com

 

[katydid23]

His dad and stepmom, who called him Little (Jessie Mobley, Sr. was Big), were thinking of where to take him out for the occasion. His aunt, with whom he lived, was planning to treat him to dinner looking over the ocean on the Kemah boardwalk, their special place since he was a child.

This^^^ is confusing....makes it sound like they took him to dinner. But obviously he must have been at the table alone when he passed out.

But that night, video footage showed, after eating a meal at the West African restaurant known for its spicy grilled meats and its late-night hours, Mobley passed out at the table. According to police records, restaurant staff, believing he was homeless, picked the young man up and placed him and his backpack on the ground outside the nearby beauty school. At no time did they call 911, said a police spokesperson.

They probably did not want their meal to be blamed or have their kitchen searched for technicalities etc.

That was a rude, callous decision, imo.

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/article/jessie-mobley-death-restaurant-presumed-homeless-21018196.php

 

[teeby]

"We don't call 911" is a slogan that means that if you attack them/commit a crime, they'll fight back, including shooting you, rather than calling the police for someone else to come solve the problem. It doesn't have anything to do with calling 911 when someone has a medical emergency.

 

[Quill]

"We don't call 911" is a slogan that means that if you attack them/commit a crime, they'll fight back, including shooting you, rather than calling the police for someone else to come solve the problem. It doesn't have anything to do with calling 911 when someone has a medical emergency.

Good grief, thank you so much for explaining this so I didn't have to type all that out. It's pretty obvious what it means. It in no way means they don't call of help for you. Do we know for sure that the restaurant in question has a sign like this? I'm pretty sure someone on this thread mentioned it in a way of denigrating Texas in general. I would be willing to bet money that the restaurant in question has no such sign.

 

[teeby]

No I don't think there's any evidence that the restaurant has any such sign. Some of these posters are international and may genuinely be confused about what it means. I'm not sure the original mention of it was meant to be derogatory.