Being a good samaritan, or not. People are very strange.
Discussion
So taken from a post on my FB.
tightreally f
king close until the bike was moved.
Have we really got to a point where the large majority of people commuting to work would rather sit in their car acting like nothing has happened?
I assume these are also the same people who would moan loudest if they were left to fend for themselves after an accident?
Post on FB said:
This morning i was unlucky enough to see a man come off his motorbike after being badly cut up, as i am still a functioning human being i helped, as did the driver of a HSS hire van, a Builder and a lad on his way home from a night shift. We assisted Alan (the rider) in getting off the road, we called an ambulance, we rescued his bike and we did all of this willingly.
To the 5 drivers closer than me when he went down, who then proceeded to watch a man roll on the floor in obvious pain and yet made no attempt to help him, fk You!
To the 20-30 people who attempted to drive past him, and his bike, and the people helping him, as they were still on the roundabout, fk You!
To the few drivers who were getting annoyed at being held up but didn't even think of helping, definitely fk You!
And to the car who cut in front of a motorbike, on a roundabout, causing the rider to come off, the same car who then drove off at speed, i can't even say what i think of you.
In case anyone wants to know, Alan was pretty ok, a bit of road rash, a knock on his helmet, a very sore hip and a peg snapped off the bike.
I am not so much shocked that no one would have jumped out to help immediately, i am aware that sometimes people sit in shock doing nowt. The part that shocked me was the cars trying to drive past the stricken man and the helpers. It happened at the entrance to a Garden centre i know quite well and the road is barely 3m wide at that point, in order for people to get past it would most certainly have been To the 5 drivers closer than me when he went down, who then proceeded to watch a man roll on the floor in obvious pain and yet made no attempt to help him, f
k You!To the 20-30 people who attempted to drive past him, and his bike, and the people helping him, as they were still on the roundabout, f
k You!To the few drivers who were getting annoyed at being held up but didn't even think of helping, definitely f
k You!And to the car who cut in front of a motorbike, on a roundabout, causing the rider to come off, the same car who then drove off at speed, i can't even say what i think of you.
In case anyone wants to know, Alan was pretty ok, a bit of road rash, a knock on his helmet, a very sore hip and a peg snapped off the bike.
king close until the bike was moved.Have we really got to a point where the large majority of people commuting to work would rather sit in their car acting like nothing has happened?
I assume these are also the same people who would moan loudest if they were left to fend for themselves after an accident?
Yep, I watched a guy lose it and smash into the central reservation on the M3 a while back, utterly smashed his car and it looked like it could have been quite bad. Everyone before I got there just kept on driving, squeezing round both sides of his car through all the debris and driving off into the distance without even bothering to check if he was ok. I think most people just don't give a fk and drive around in an apathetic daze.
k and drive around in an apathetic daze.We're a herding breed - hence the queuing mentality and the like. Not everyone can or will help someone in trouble because they may feel vunerable themselves, wouldn't know what to do etc - the fact is people did help and the chap is ok. 
The people squeezing past - it only takes one idiot and then everyone else doesn't want to be "that guy" who refuses to and "causes" everyone else to be delayed - a cascade effect sadly.
The people squeezing past - it only takes one idiot and then everyone else doesn't want to be "that guy" who refuses to and "causes" everyone else to be delayed - a cascade effect sadly.
So everyone that sees the motorcyclist lying on the floor should stop to help? Even if there are already people helping?
That's a bit absurd surely? What good would 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 and so on people stopping to help be?
I cycled past an incident the other day. There was a young lad lying on the side of the road with 5 or 6 people surrounding him. There was another 2/3 people stopping traffic passing the incident (and blocking the whole road, even though the lad was on the side of the road). The ambulance was already on it's way as I could hear it in the distance.
Do I feel guilty for not stopping? No. What good would I have been? I'm not a first aider, doctor or paramedic.
If I had been the first on the scene, then no doubt, I would have stopped. But there's no point getting angry at everyone else just wanting to get home.
That's a bit absurd surely? What good would 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 and so on people stopping to help be?
I cycled past an incident the other day. There was a young lad lying on the side of the road with 5 or 6 people surrounding him. There was another 2/3 people stopping traffic passing the incident (and blocking the whole road, even though the lad was on the side of the road). The ambulance was already on it's way as I could hear it in the distance.
Do I feel guilty for not stopping? No. What good would I have been? I'm not a first aider, doctor or paramedic.
If I had been the first on the scene, then no doubt, I would have stopped. But there's no point getting angry at everyone else just wanting to get home.
MysteryLemon said:
So everyone that sees the motorcyclist lying on the floor should stop to help? Even if there are already people helping?
That's a bit absurd surely? What good would 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 and so on people stopping to help be?
...
If I had been the first on the scene, then no doubt, I would have stopped. But there's no point getting angry at everyone else just wanting to get home.
Did you read the OP?That's a bit absurd surely? What good would 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 and so on people stopping to help be?
...
If I had been the first on the scene, then no doubt, I would have stopped. But there's no point getting angry at everyone else just wanting to get home.
The OP has got annoyed because -
- 5 drivers closer to the scene than him made no attempt to do anything.
- Other people caused a danger by attempting to squeeze past.
- Others got annoyed that someone hurt should be disrupting their journey.
There was no suggestion that everyone should stop and get out their cars was there?
InfoRetrieval said:
Did you read the OP?
The OP has got annoyed because -
- 5 drivers closer to the scene than him made no attempt to do anything.
- Other people caused a danger by attempting to squeeze past.
- Others got annoyed that someone hurt should be disrupting their journey.
There was no suggestion that everyone should stop and get out their cars was there?
1. Not everyone would feel confident to stop. As above, I'm no first aider, doctor or paramedic. I wouldn't really have a clue what to do. How do you know that the 5 drivers that went on their way we're immediately on the phone to the emergency services?The OP has got annoyed because -
- 5 drivers closer to the scene than him made no attempt to do anything.
- Other people caused a danger by attempting to squeeze past.
- Others got annoyed that someone hurt should be disrupting their journey.
There was no suggestion that everyone should stop and get out their cars was there?
2. Do you really expect people to just sit there for hours? What frustrates me more than anything else is when people have minor accidents and refuse to move their car from the middle of the road until the police have arrived. They would rather disrupt everyone elses lives than just move their car to the side of the road. Somewhat different if it's a major accident but in all honesty, the system in this country is stupid in that nothing can be moved until all investigations have been carried out. That could mean a road closed for hours because of a bumper in a lane or some scattered glass.
3. I doubt other people would be annoyed that someone got hurt. More likely annoyed that they couldn't get through and the chances are, would be no way to turn around.
callmedave said:
Wasnt there stories of people pretending to break down, then mugging the people who stopped to offer assistance?
Seeing a guy get knocked and fall off his bike is obviously not a set-up, but you can understand why some people would think twice about offering assistance.
Happened to me between Christmas and New Year a few years back but managed to avoid them stealing the car (which was their aim).Seeing a guy get knocked and fall off his bike is obviously not a set-up, but you can understand why some people would think twice about offering assistance.
Still, in this case if you've seen the accident I don't think it would be an elaborate ruse to commit crime.
I was out on a Ride & Handling project ride route, when a guy in front of us managed to tip into a bend at approximately 30mph, lift off half way round, the arse swung round, the nose bit into the bank, and the car (Toyota Corolla), quite impressively, flipped twice and landed on it's side in a ditch.
Obviously i pulled over immediately and stuck the hazards on. The guy i was working with phoned the police and Ambulance. It was 4 o clock in the afternoon, in the middle of winter and it was foggy and dark. This didn't stop people flying around the bend, beeping at us, and generally not stopping.
The police took 45 minutes to attend, and during that entire time of us directing traffic, only one person asked if they could help. I had to rip his passenger door open - remember the car was on it's side (have you ever tried to open a bent car door vertically!?!), talk to him to make sure he was ok, and drag him out of the car. i didn't even think about what i was doing, just got on with it in an automatic response sort of way.
The worst bit for me was the people getting annoyed that they were being held up, when they could clearly see a smashed up car on it's side in a ditch, and just 2 of us trying to direct traffic, and save him!
IDIOTS
Obviously i pulled over immediately and stuck the hazards on. The guy i was working with phoned the police and Ambulance. It was 4 o clock in the afternoon, in the middle of winter and it was foggy and dark. This didn't stop people flying around the bend, beeping at us, and generally not stopping.
The police took 45 minutes to attend, and during that entire time of us directing traffic, only one person asked if they could help. I had to rip his passenger door open - remember the car was on it's side (have you ever tried to open a bent car door vertically!?!), talk to him to make sure he was ok, and drag him out of the car. i didn't even think about what i was doing, just got on with it in an automatic response sort of way.
The worst bit for me was the people getting annoyed that they were being held up, when they could clearly see a smashed up car on it's side in a ditch, and just 2 of us trying to direct traffic, and save him!
IDIOTS
simo1863 said:
callmedave said:
Wasnt there stories of people pretending to break down, then mugging the people who stopped to offer assistance?
Seeing a guy get knocked and fall off his bike is obviously not a set-up, but you can understand why some people would think twice about offering assistance.
Happened to me between Christmas and New Year a few years back but managed to avoid them stealing the car (which was their aim).Seeing a guy get knocked and fall off his bike is obviously not a set-up, but you can understand why some people would think twice about offering assistance.
Still, in this case if you've seen the accident I don't think it would be an elaborate ruse to commit crime.
Would you stop to offer assistance to a car broken down on the road side?
Would you stop to offer assistance if you witnessed the guy knocked off his bike?
Atomsforpeace said:
This is the empathy free world we are currently living in where people
will step over an unconscious man in the street rather than help. Luckily
Their are still some decent folk left though.
Yep. What has happened to people? will step over an unconscious man in the street rather than help. Luckily
Their are still some decent folk left though.
Helped an old bloke a while back who had fallen over and badly twisted his ankle and was in awful pain. Looked behind me and saw some people taking pictures on their phones. WTF?
When my dad got taken out on Loampit Hill (quite seriously injured) on his way back from work people did stop, however only so they could film him in agony on the floor, not to help in any way shape or form (barring the nice person that did and called in the services).
Even when the police got there they carried on filming, took threats of confiscation for evidence purposes to get them to stop!
Even when the police got there they carried on filming, took threats of confiscation for evidence purposes to get them to stop!
4a4 said:
The worst bit for me was the people getting annoyed that they were being held up, when they could clearly see a smashed up car on it's side in a ditch, and just 2 of us trying to direct traffic, and save him!
That's what i'm trying to get at with this mornings situation, the idea that when there is someone clearly in pain and in the road and yet drivers would still try to drive past him.This is the roundabout:
It's not like it's a multi-lane thing where people could have easily pulled past a bloke and a motorcycle so it would have been very tight for those helping and him on the floor.
PAULJ5555 said:
Lost of people don't like bikers. Yes they are human beings and would be charming if you talked to them but strap on some leather & lid and they turn into idiots.
Maybe its the idiots giving all bikers a bad name.
And allot of very nice people get in the drivers seat of a car and turn in to complete morons or raving lunatics. Thats still no excuse for seeing someone injured and ignoring them.Maybe its the idiots giving all bikers a bad name.
callmedave said:
simo1863 said:
callmedave said:
Wasnt there stories of people pretending to break down, then mugging the people who stopped to offer assistance?
Seeing a guy get knocked and fall off his bike is obviously not a set-up, but you can understand why some people would think twice about offering assistance.
Happened to me between Christmas and New Year a few years back but managed to avoid them stealing the car (which was their aim).Seeing a guy get knocked and fall off his bike is obviously not a set-up, but you can understand why some people would think twice about offering assistance.
Still, in this case if you've seen the accident I don't think it would be an elaborate ruse to commit crime.
Would you stop to offer assistance to a car broken down on the road side?
Would you stop to offer assistance if you witnessed the guy knocked off his bike?
Then two other gentleman came out of the roadside, told me to give them my wallet, phone and keys (not realising she was in the car). I just shouted to the GF to start recording them on her phone and reiterated to not open the doors. I stupidly quipped that they could have been having a homosexual encounter in the bushes and that they should get running before the police arrive, I got a bit of a kicking for that but nothing too bad (and I kept my wallet and phone!)as they scarpered pretty quick.
In answer to your questions, I still would with both but if it was a certain time of day on a quiet road I would be very very careful. Especially if I was on my own, if I was of a retirement age or more vulnerable though I'm not so sure.
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