What is wrong with people?
What is wrong with people?
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Discussion

Huntsman

Original Poster:

9,442 posts

281 months

Friday 25th March 2016
quotequote all
As I cycled home yesterday afternoon over the top of a big bridge, I spotted a few yards ahead of me a lady trying to climb over the railing. My first thought was 'Don't do that!' By the time I got to her and jumped off my bike she'd lost her grip of the hand rail, fallen backwards and knocked herself out. Thankfully her suicide attempt had failed. There she was, in the rain, lying on the pavement, with me trying to simultaneously check she was breathing and alive while trying to get a car to stop and call an ambulance.

It was broad daylight. The first 5 or so cars just drove past. Drove past. The miserable fkers didn't stop.

A bloke arrived on a bike, said 'holy st, fk man' and started filming with his phone. I wanted to chuck him off the bridge.

A chap stopped, he called the ambulance, another chap supplied an extra coat, she was coming round and murmuring, the police arrived, the ambulance arrived, the lady was well known to them. Poor troubled soul.

Lying on the pavement while people in the warm dry cars drove past. Miserable fkers.

What is wrong with them? How can someone be so self absorbed in their life that they just drive by someone lying on the pavement?




anonymous-user

85 months

Friday 25th March 2016
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Maybe the car drivers (obviously ravelling faster than a cyclist) didn't really realise what was happening or too absorbed with checking facebook on their mobile phone

750turbo

6,164 posts

255 months

Friday 25th March 2016
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Huntsman - thanks for helping them out!

As for those that did not, I cannot comment, let us hope they never require assistance from a passer by.

We really should have a "Law" where helping out those in distress is mandatory, I would call it "being fking Human"

Turn7

25,774 posts

252 months

Friday 25th March 2016
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Dont go there !
Two days ago, I was driving around Watford.
Just as I joined the one way ring road, I just happended to notice an old boy falling to the ground.
Sadly, due to the nature of the road/junction I was at, there was zero place to stop a van and help the old boy.
I went all the way back round the one way to make sure he was Ok, and by the time I got back round, someone had stopped to help him.
Upset me that I couldnt just pull over at the time, but was glad someone had helped him out.

poing

8,743 posts

231 months

Friday 25th March 2016
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Many reasons.

Getting involved can cause complications so people just avoid it.
People don't like to get into uncomfortable situations by choice.
Didn't see what was going on, just saw a mad bloke waving.
Had kids in the car so won't put them in a risky place.
Selfish bds.

The list goes on.

BruceV8

3,325 posts

278 months

Friday 25th March 2016
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I would imagine that when you're driving past, insulated in your metal box, you pass the scene quickly and have little or no idea of what is happening on the pavement.

As for people who are there on the scene and choose to film rather than help, I don't know ....

Fermit The Krog

13,240 posts

131 months

Friday 25th March 2016
quotequote all
Huntsman said:
As I cycled home yesterday afternoon over the top of a big bridge, I spotted a few yards ahead of me a lady trying to climb over the railing. My first thought was 'Don't do that!' By the time I got to her and jumped off my bike she'd lost her grip of the hand rail, fallen backwards and knocked herself out. Thankfully her suicide attempt had failed. There she was, in the rain, lying on the pavement, with me trying to simultaneously check she was breathing and alive while trying to get a car to stop and call an ambulance.

It was broad daylight. The first 5 or so cars just drove past. Drove past. The miserable fkers didn't stop.

A bloke arrived on a bike, said 'holy st, fk man' and started filming with his phone. I wanted to chuck him off the bridge.

A chap stopped, he called the ambulance, another chap supplied an extra coat, she was coming round and murmuring, the police arrived, the ambulance arrived, the lady was well known to them. Poor troubled soul.

Lying on the pavement while people in the warm dry cars drove past. Miserable fkers.

What is wrong with them? How can someone be so self absorbed in their life that they just drive by someone lying on the pavement?
Well done, you did well. Any of us never know when we may be down on our luck needing the intervention of a thoughtful stranger.

And RE the guy with the phone, I don't know how you managed to not grab it off him and throw it off the bridge, no less than he deserved. At very least I would have squared up and told him in no uncertain terms to fking do one!

Hoofy

80,157 posts

313 months

Friday 25th March 2016
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Fermit The Krog said:
Well done, you did well. Any of us never know when we may be down on our luck needing the intervention of a thoughtful stranger.

And RE the guy with the phone, I don't know how you managed to not grab it off him and throw it off the bridge, no less than he deserved. At very least I would have squared up and told him in no uncertain terms to fking do one!
yes

Crush

15,078 posts

200 months

Friday 25th March 2016
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The worst is yet to come. She'll sue you for ruining her death hehe

Good work on helping her. I don't know how you stopped yourself from launching that chap's phone up his arse, so congratulations for that!

Vocal Minority

8,582 posts

183 months

Friday 25th March 2016
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Whilst this emotion is poor currency round these 'ere parts

Its the filmer I find the most offensive, rather than those not stopping.

He would have received a hell of a balling out from me for that.

fking gawking cretin

catso

16,533 posts

298 months

Friday 25th March 2016
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poing said:
Many reasons.

Getting involved can cause complications so people just avoid it.
People don't like to get into uncomfortable situations by choice.
Didn't see what was going on, just saw a mad bloke waving.
Had kids in the car so won't put them in a risky place.
Selfish bds.

The list goes on.
Certainly does, some years ago I was in a motorbike crash, no-one else involved but I ended up face down on the verge with a broken collarbone and ribs, totally winded and struggling to catch my breath, couldn't move for a few minutes, bike was lying a few feet away with the engine still running.

It was on a quiet road so not a huge amount of traffic and no witnesses to the event but at least half a dozen cars drove past before someone stopped to help/see if I was dead...

Neil H

15,418 posts

282 months

Friday 25th March 2016
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Good on you for stopping, but unless you know they saw exactly what happened as you did, and made a conscious judgement to say 'fk that', you can't really judge them.

Tango13

10,165 posts

207 months

Friday 25th March 2016
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Good on the OP for stopping! None of us know when we might be the one needing help.


DukeDickson

5,060 posts

244 months

Saturday 26th March 2016
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catso said:
poing said:
Many reasons.

Getting involved can cause complications so people just avoid it.
People don't like to get into uncomfortable situations by choice.
Didn't see what was going on, just saw a mad bloke waving.
Had kids in the car so won't put them in a risky place.
Selfish bds.

The list goes on.
Certainly does, some years ago I was in a motorbike crash, no-one else involved but I ended up face down on the verge with a broken collarbone and ribs, totally winded and struggling to catch my breath, couldn't move for a few minutes, bike was lying a few feet away with the engine still running.

It was on a quiet road so not a huge amount of traffic and no witnesses to the event but at least half a dozen cars drove past before someone stopped to help/see if I was dead...
Blame those who stage 'incidents' to do a little bit of car jacking. Then there's the trying to help out in a domestic on a late night Street, only to be turned on by both parties when you do. Plus others.

Sadly, the safe & easy option is to pretend you didn't see what might have happened.

Then there's most people actually going around in a less than splendid isolation, until it affects them - much more important to reply to that text, like that moronic post and so on.

DoubleSix

12,572 posts

207 months

Saturday 26th March 2016
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Good on you for stopping OP.

However, once an individual is 'on the scene' there's often not a lot to be gained by multiple randoms abandoning their vehicles even if it might have made you feel better.


hidetheelephants

36,314 posts

224 months

Saturday 26th March 2016
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DukeDickson said:
Blame those who stage 'incidents' to do a little bit of car jacking. Then there's the trying to help out in a domestic on a late night Street, only to be turned on by both parties when you do. Plus others.

Sadly, the safe & easy option is to pretend you didn't see what might have happened.

Then there's most people actually going around in a less than splendid isolation, until it affects them - much more important to reply to that text, like that moronic post and so on.
Has this ever actually happened in the UK? Or is it just another bit of internet bks like rapist gypsy car thieves in fake police uniforms?

Edited by hidetheelephants on Saturday 26th March 08:40

glazbagun

15,380 posts

228 months

Saturday 26th March 2016
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Good show OP, hopefully the woman can begin to sort her troubles out- she certainly has a better chance than she might have done.

Even accounting for the Bystander effect there appear to be some total knobs in the world. I remember crossing the road to buy milk a few years back only to find a woman halfway out of her car full of screaming kids freaking out into her mobile phone because her banger of a car had died opposite a junction and was causing a traffic jam.

Not one person got out of their car to help, but plenty were happy to helpfully lean on their horns. It took us all of about thirty seconds to push her car to the side of the road but the tailback must have been there for minutes. Still can't account for the attitudes I saw.

ApOrbital

10,592 posts

149 months

Saturday 26th March 2016
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Well done huntsman i would have done the same.

mfmman

3,250 posts

214 months

Saturday 26th March 2016
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hidetheelephants said:
DukeDickson said:
Blame those who stage 'incidents' to do a little bit of car jacking. Then there's the trying to help out in a domestic on a late night Street, only to be turned on by both parties when you do. Plus others.
Has this ever actually happened in the UK? Or is it just another bit of internet bks like rapist gypsy car thieves in fake police uniforms?
A drugged driver pulled out in front of my Mum a few years ago, very heavy damage to both cars. Mum and her friend were bruised and winded, ambulances called etc but no long term issues. A kind passer-by stopped, explained she was a nurse and tended to the people in each car. A less kind passer-by stole the nurses handbag. rolleyes


I did the decent thing a few years ago, a woman in a car next to us at traffic lights beeped her horn and pointed to a woman flat out on the pavement with some bloke rifling through her bag. We pulled the car over and got out. After much shouting and close to a bit of a scrap (only negated by there being four of us and one of him) he was pissed, she was pissed, they were a couple and she had fallen over. Left them staggering to the next pub with the cash he had liberated from her purse rolleyesrolleyes I'd stop again though

I think part of it is the need to make a very quick decision, I arrived at stopped traffic once where a car and a school bus had collided on a country road. I decided to turn around and go back as I had a booked train (fixed time) to
catch. There were a few cars already stopped and some kids waiting for the bus being moved away from the scene. So I left, unfortunately the driver of the car had been killed (car driver only 18, bus driver already banned, all a right mess). Even though there was probably nothing I could have done, I still should have stopped and I know that frown



Edited by mfmman on Saturday 26th March 08:34


Edited by mfmman on Saturday 26th March 08:35

Reg Local

2,708 posts

239 months

Saturday 26th March 2016
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This sort of thing is a reflection of modern values - people are completely and utterly engrossed in their own issues - their journey, their errand, their next stop. People just don't care much. There are also a minority of people who are genuinely so self centred that they put their own priorities above anything and everything else which might be happening around them.

Some time around September/October last year, I'd had to take a lengthy diversion on my way to work due to an accident on the motorway network. It was a very windy day, and as I drove through a village on the outskirts of Rochdale, out of the corner of my eye I saw an old lady on the opposite pavement. She was caught by a gust of wind and went down - hard. There was no stumbling or reaching out to break her fall - she just went from vertical to horizontal in an instant and it was obvious that she must have been injured.

I pulled over on the left as soon as I could and ran across the road to where she had fallen. No-one else had stopped at this point, but she was now behind some parked cars and it's likely that most other drivers hadn't seen her fall. As I got to her a lady came out of a nearby bakers shop and we both checked on her. She had a bit of a head injury but was conscious. She couldn't however, get up and on speaking to her it seemed very likely that she had broken her hip.

I called an ambulance, we made her comfortable and a minute or two later, a carer from a local nursing home arrived & told us that the lady was one of their residents. There was nothing left for me to do - the lady was in good hands and well looked-after, so I went back to my car to continue my journey.

When I got to my car, there was another car - a Volvo I think - parked nose-up to & almost touching my car. As I went to get into my car, the driver of the Volvo got out - he was aged perhaps in his late 60's - and it was clear that he was almost apoplectic with rage - when I'd stopped, I'd inadvertently half-blocked his driveway. "This isn't a bloody parking spot - you're blocking my driveway" he shouted.

Now, the old lady was still on the floor across the road and the commotion surrounding her was clearly visible, but I also know how annoying it can be for someone to carelessly block your access, so I went over to him to apologise. I told him I was very sorry for blocking his driveway, but explained about the old lady falling, calling an ambulance, possible broken hip, stopping in an emergency etc. and that I would move my car now.

His reaction? (I'm not making this up - this was his genuine, and very angry response to my perfectly calm explanation) "I couldn't give a st about that old lady - you're blocking my drive".

I could think of only one response, which seemed the most appropriate at the time. I leaned in very close to his face and said, very quietly "you're a fking " before walking off and taking loads of time to move my car.

These people are out there. And I think there's more of them these days.