Fact is Stranger than Fiction

***SPOILERS***

A few of my readers have pointed out that some of my points in my novel SEVEN DAYS seem a little stretched.  Interesting enough, some of the most outlandish events in the novel are all based on real situations.  These are pretty interesting and fun to share.

In the novel SEVEN DAYS, Rick’s house burns down, which forces him to take refuge with his brother, Isaac.  When the fire department arrives at Rick’s house, they refuse to put out the house because of an alleged five dollar late fee.  This is based on several events in Tennessee, where firefighters respond to a house fire only to watch the house burn because of a 75 dollar fee.  Check out this news story:  http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2011/12/07/9272989-firefighters-let-home-burn-over-75-fee-again

When the EMP first hit, there is an older individual, whose pacemaker is effected by the EMP.  Everyone in the crowd attempts to call 911 but to no avail—all their phones had been fried at this point.  As the old man collapses to the ground, no one attempts any sort of first aid or CPR—which may or may not have saved the individual’s life.  Rick blames the people’s inaction on the fear of being sued.  In Alameda, CA, police and firefighters watched a man drown because they realized, according to this article, “they did not possess the proper certifications for water rescue required to legally do so.  Had the workers attempted a rescue without the legal certifications, they could have faced lawsuits leading to massive fines and career ending rulings.”   

•  http://rt.com/usa/california-rescue-workers-watch-man-drowns/

In SEVEN DAYS, once the EMP hits, the individual citizen’s reactions to the disaster are varied and diverse.  While people in the city of Norfolk who depend on assisted living are literally dying, there are several young individuals, who instead of helping, decide to sun bathe in the park.  Similarly, when the cruise ship Concordia shipwrecked, which resulted in the death of 17 individuals, the nearby beaches were crowded with sunbathing individuals who wanted to see the wreck. 

• http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/people-sunbathe-by-the-wrecked-costa-concordia-cruise-ship-news-photo/451253056

While Rick is driving on the highway, desperately rushing to reach Isaac before the EMP goes off, he ponders about how things have changed in America.  Owing to massive budget cuts, police stations all over the nation had to prioritize the calls they had to respond to including “Traffic violations…domestic abuse, vandalism, and other petty crimes.”  There are police stations all over the nation that have already made similar statements. 

Chicago Police in 2013 announced that they will no longer be able to respond to “criminal damage to property, vehicle thefts, garage burglaries, or other crimes in which the suspect is no longer on the scene, and the victim isn’t in immediate danger.”

• http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/dgreenfield/chicago-police-will-no-longer-respond-to-burglaries-or-robberies/

In Oakland, in 2010, the police listed 44 situations that they will no longer be responding to, including grand theft, burglary, car wrecks, identity theft and vandalism. The police assert that if you live in Oakland and one of the above happens to you, you need to let police know on-line.

• http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Suffer-These-Crimes-in-Oakland-Dont-Call-the-Cops-98266509.html

In Las Vegas, Cops will no longer be responding to small fender benders.

• http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2014/03/las-vegas-police-will-no-longer-respond-to-fender-benders/

Camden police will no longer be able to respond to vehicle accidents without injuries, minor thefts, or vandalism as a result of the layoffs.

•  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/18/camden-police-crime-layoffs_n_810560.html

And the list goes on and on. 

These are just a few of the news stories I studied and incorporated into the novel SEVEN DAYS.  I would love to hear about other stories like this, so please share!