Man called 911 in agonizing pain — dispatch sent a Lyft instead. He drove himself to the hospital and learned it was appendicitis

When someone calls 911 in excruciating pain, they expect the standard response: flashing red lights, trained paramedics, and an ambulance pulling up to the curb. Naturally, Brett Rothstein, a retired New York EMT living in Wendell, North Carolina, expected that exact lifeline at 2 a.m. when severe abdominal pain left him collapsed on his front porch. Instead of sirens, however, Wake County dispatch routed his call through their "Nurse navigation" program and ordered him a Lyft. Stunned by the 15-minute wait time for the rideshare, Rothstein drove himself to the hospital, as reported by CBS 17 (@CBS17) on October 20, 2026, in a video that has been viewed over 105,500 times.

Agony in the night

Around two in the morning, Rothstein found himself crumpled on his front porch in Wendell, clutching his stomach in blinding agony. His home security footage captured him doubled over in a tight fetal position, completely unable to stand or walk. "My pain was ten out of ten," he told CBS 17, recalling how rapidly his health deteriorated during the night. Desperate for immediate medical intervention, he and his wife dialed 911, counting on paramedics to reach their doorsteps within minutes.

Routed to remote triage

Instead of dispatching an emergency crew, local operators transferred the couple's call to Wake County's four-year-old Nurse Navigation program. A remote registered nurse based out of Dallas, Texas, then took over the line, questioning Rothstein to determine whether his distress was truly life-threatening. Despite his wife explaining that he was "doubled down and pain on the floor," and he "couldn’t really ambulate or walk around," the nurse navigator informed that he was going to get Rothstein a Lyft.

An unexpected ride

Moments later, Rothstein looked down at his phone and saw an alert confirming that a Lyft driver named Carlos was en route. "They told me there were no ambulances available and sent me a Lyft driver," he said. The notification notified him that the vehicle was roughly 15 minutes away, leaving the former first responder completely stunned. "I was absolutely shocked. I was appalled," Rothstein explained to CBS 17's Baron James, noting that he pays local taxes and maintains an ambulance subscription specifically to avoid being abandoned during such a health crisis.

Racing against the clock

Knowing just how important every single minute is during such situations, Rothstein refused to wait for the rideshare. Instead, he gathered whatever remaining strength he had and got behind the wheel himself and drove through intense pain to WakeMed Wendell. Once inside, attending doctors examined him, diagnosed him with acute appendicitis, and immediately loaded him into an ambulance to rush him to WakeMed Raleigh for definitive treatment.

System faces growing scrutiny

The case has raised questions about how the Nurse Navigation program handles patients whose symptoms may initially be classified as non-life-threatening. Wake County says the program has been part of its Emergency Medical Services (EMS) operations since 2021 and is designed to help certain 911 callers navigate appropriate care options. CBS 17 reported on February 18, 2026, that Wake County was receiving about 400 calls a day, with life-threatening emergencies accounting for roughly 10% of them. The county also says that if a nurse believes a patient needs an ambulance — or if a patient declines a Lyft and requests an ambulance instead — the caller should be sent back to 911 dispatch for ambulance service. CBS 17 said it was seeking answers about whether rideshare drivers receive any program-specific training, who would be liable if a patient deteriorated during the ride, and whether the program is reducing 911 wait times and costs.

A study published in Health Economics in June 24, 2019, found that the introduction of UberX in U.S. cities was associated with at least a 6.7% decline in per-capita ambulance use. Researchers Leon Moskatel and David Slusky suggested that some low-risk patients may have substituted rideshares for ambulances when they did not believe they needed emergency medical transport. "I think that people know they have high-deductible health insurance plans or have no insurance. People know that insurance is going to cost them a lot of money, and if they don’t think they really need it, they know that an Uber’s going to be a lot cheaper," he told KCUR.

It's going to cost lives

In contrast, the people were livid about this arrangement and want it to be removed completely. @pattystephens7152 commented, "This sounds good till someone dies in the Lyft without medical care that was requested in the 911 call." At the same time, @CODYORMOE pointed out, "He was probably too calm on the phone. Just b/c he can regulate his emotions doesn’t mean he’s not in dire pain."

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