The emotional toll endured by emergency room medics has been revealed by a moving photograph showing an ER doctor consumed by grief after losing a teenage patient . The image was posted to a website by a friend and colleague of the doctor who explained that a 19-year-old he was trying to save passed away . The doctor , wearing a white coat , is seen crouching down by the side of a road at night , with one hand holding a wall - the heart-ache of what he 'd seen clearly too much to bear . An image of a doctor overwhelmed by grief after losing a 19-year-old patient has generated thousands of comments on a social media site . The poster , who works in California , said : 'Though this is a common occurrence in our field of work , the patients we lose are typically old , sick , or some combination of the two . The patient that died was 19 years old , and for him , it was one of those calls we get sometimes that just hits you . ' The picture was first published on Reddit and has led to thousands of comments from touched users . One , ‘ J-Hof ’ , wrote that the image ‘ really hit home ’ as it reminded him of the shock felt by ER medics after they failed to save his father ’ s life . The post read : ‘ When he died the doctors who were working on him at the UCSD medical center were crushed . I could definitely see it in their eyes . They called my house multiple times throughout the year to see how my family was doing . Doctors do not get the praise they deserve. ’ Reddit user Facetus , a medic , wrote : ‘ I know exactly how the doc in the picture feels . Despite the picture showing such a dark moment it actually makes me feel happier about my career choice . I think it is the sense of connection with the unknown doc in the pic and the comments and reaction of Reddit community that makes me feel : what we do matters. ’ Another user , livinbandit , said : ‘ My dad is an ER doctor . I remember the times he would come home and cry in my mother ’ s arms because there was someone that he could n't save no matter how hard he tried. ’ Reddit users touched by the picture of the doctor left comments praising the work that the emergency services do .
Image posted on social media of grief-stricken doctor touched thousands . Doctor is seen crouching by road at night with one hand holding a wall . The picture was taken in California and generated thousands of comments .