Hit-and-run victim left in street without help... What Have We Become?

We see blood and gore on TV everyday.
We have become desensitized to the suffering of others.

This is also a symptom of today's overpopulation. Like why get excited over one down when there are so many more? It has been shown that any creature in overcrowded situations will not only kill its young, but each other, and even eat the fallen.

Be ready.

reply to post by Anonymous ATS


"I am reminded on this holy day...

of the sad story of Kitty Genovese.

As you all may remember,

a long time ago, almost years ago,

this poor soul cried out for help...

time and time again,

but no person answer her calls.

Though many saw,

no one so much as called the police.

They all just watched as Kitty was being stabbed to death...

in broad daylight.

They watched as her assailant walked away.

Now, we must all fear evil men.

But there is another kind of evil...

which we must fear most,

and that is the indifference...

of good men!"

-The Boondock Saints

Originally posted by Odessy
But there is another kind of evil...
which we must fear most,
and that is the indifference...
of good men!"
-The Boondock Saints

Actually i would fear the guy that "felt like raping a woman that night" as he later explained, the guy that stabbed her, ran away, came back and raped her as she was bleeding to death. We won't describe the guy cause that would not be PC.

I guess the lesson is be prepared to defend yourself.

Voxel;

I saw the video, but I did not see anyone stopping traffic. The first thing anyone should have done is to check and see if he was still breathing. Someone could hav at least tried to cover him. The first thing to do besides ensuring that the person is breathing is to treat for shock.

Also to your question of whether any of us would have done. Yes I would have helped. I have done so in the past and will continue to do so in the future.

The second thing I would have liked to do is to track down the punk who ran him over and beat the living sh!t out of him.

Originally posted by capgrup
I saw the video, but I did not see anyone stopping traffic.

A group standing in a roadway is a good way to stop traffic. Notice the CNN video doesn't let you see the people standing in the road for more than a second. In that short span of time you couldn't tell exactly what action people were taking.

The first thing anyone should have done is to check and see if he was still breathing. Someone could hav at least tried to cover him. The first thing to do besides ensuring that the person is breathing is to treat for shock.

This only applies to people who have some medical or CPR training. The average person doesn't even know how many states are in the US. How does one recognize shock, not to mention treat it, if all one knows about emergency medicine is "Don't move him until the ambulance arrives."?

Also to your question of whether any of us would have done. Yes I would have helped. I have done so in the past and will continue to do so in the future.

Great you would have "Helped" thank the heavens for ambiguous people like you. WHAT would have done to help?

Would have called 911? People did that.
Would you have stopped traffic? People did that.
Would you have tried to remember the plate numbers? People did that.

What else can a person with no medical training be expected to do? This isn't a movie where people could have gone over and done the old "Don't you DIE ON ME!!!" routine to save their life.

The second thing I would have liked to do is to track down the punk who ran him over and beat the living sh!t out of him.

Unless you were a cop you would be charged with assault for being a complete idiot. If you had any information that would help track the guy down then you should just give it to the police.

Tip to all people watching videos off the internet or on the TV:
Learn to turn your autonomic emotional reflexes off; They are getting in the way of your ability to reason adequately.

Jon

reply to post by Sonya610


there will always be evil people, but the scariest thought, imo, is when good men dont stop them...
That is the label of a truly corrupted society.

I have to agree that apathy is nothing new. My wife, when she was a 20 something, cute woman spent some time in New England. On cold morning while walking her dog, she slipped in an icy street and broke her ankle. No one even asked how she was, much less helped. She finally managed to get up and hobble her way home. I imagine an old man would be SOL.

We live in a very rural area with lots of gravel roads in the middle of nowhere Texas. If anyone is stopped on a road, just about any person passing will stop and ask if help is needed. It is the way people here are. A big difference from a large city. Guess much has to do with the way people here think. Every one needs a little help once in a while. May be people don't feel they are constant prey for other people out here.

Originally posted by Voxel

Would have called 911? People did that.
Would you have stopped traffic? People did that.
Would you have tried to remember the plate numbers? People did that.

What else can a person with no medical training be expected to do? This isn't a movie where people could have gone over and done the old "Don't you DIE ON ME!!!" routine to save their life.

People should have moved in and stood next to the victim much much faster, primarily so the guy wouldn't get hit again, but also to offer some pscyhological comfort if the guy was conscious.

I don't know if the guy was bleeding profusely, but that would be the next obvious thing, though I can fully understand that many people would not want a strangers blood all over them.

Originally posted by loam

Originally posted by Roper
People are afraid to render aid for they might be sued.

Bull crap.

Calling 911 does not expose you to liability.

I guess it really is true.... you simply can't fix stupid.

:shk:

He is right tho, these days people are afraid to step up thanks to the ridiculous laws made to 'fix stupids'.

But I also agree with you, this video is a shocker, the people gawking and driving past should be ashamed of themselves.

However, we don't know that someone didn't call 911 or hail a police car down.

But regardless, it's not bull when every day we hear of good Samaritans being sued or dragged into unwarranted problems for trying to help. It may be a case of being unaware of the entire situation, or it may be something else but either way, it's a hassle people can avoid by being complacent.

Unless you wear a uniform, you are liable.

Hence my opinion of the human species. We really are nothing marvellous. We only marvel at our selves while ignoring the fact that we're nothing more than bugs on this planet.

Originally posted by Anti-Tyrant
It would seem people are more likely to stop and help an injured animal than a human...

I think they are usually one and the same, throbsy me ol' mate

I just don't think there were many people there at the time who really would have helped anyone/thing. They seemed more the "Oh I have a mobile... I can take pictures!" than the "Oh I have a mobile, I best call someone to get here quick!" sort.

But other than that, I agree with your post entirely.

voxel;

Lets see. Having people on both sides of the street with their hands out would have worked. I just saw a group of people standing around and in that short time I saw about 4-5 cars drive through the area.

I know the education system really is in bad shape these days, but I also know that I am not the only 40 year old that had basic health classes in school.

As far as your "ambigous helper" comment I have had to help a car accident victim. About 4 years ago an old man in a pick up was rear-ended right in front of me.

This was not a small fender bender but a high speed hit. Some other people and I stopped the traffic coming from both directions. The old man was able to walk but we got him to sit down. I got his name and phone number and talked to his wife. I also stuck around and gave a statement to the highway patrol.

And yes this did cause me some problems. My friend and date at the time just wanted to go home after a few minutes. I have never talked to her again because I cannot abide, stand, or tolerate people who have no consideration for anyone else.

As far as beating the hell out of the punk I ould have gladly paid the price that came from doing so. I was raised that way and have never forgotten it.

en.wikipedia.org...

When someone is in trouble it is not the time to listen to yourself say "Oh somebody else will take care of it"

I learned about this in highschool and again in college. The average person assumes that if others are around, they don't need to do anything to help.

The first car coming in that lane turns around. The next takes a left to avoid the situation entirely.

It's time to stop calling 95% of our population "sheep." Sheep are putting us to shame in their ability to care for one another.

Last winter I ran across the scene of an accident where one woman was bleeding from her wounds and the truck was totaled. Icy roads, one car accident. It was out in the middle of nowhere, cell phone coverage is sketchy on the best of days and this was not the best of days. I stopped to render assistance and was told that the occupants of the vehicle has called a tow truck. The two guys with the bleeding woman admitted they had not called for medical assistance. After several tries I finally got my cell phone to connect to 911 and, knowing that the connection might go out any second, tried to get as much information to them as quickly as possible. The cop on the other end of the phone asked why I was calling if there was already a tow truck on the way so I reiterated that a woman was bleeding and would probably need medical assistance. He chided me for my presumption and told me the cops were busy that day dealing with "real emergencies" and this didn't sound like a real emergency to him. I told him I was a critical care nurse with 28 years experience and that unless he had some clairavoyant skills that allowed him to diagnose over the phone he might want to get his donut munching ass out there and assess the situation.

I stuck around until the cops got there rendering first aid to all 3 of the wreck victims and the first thing the cops did when they got there was to ask who "the rude b***ch on the phone was. I said "it was me" and they took down all my info before even bothering to call for an ambulance. I continued to render first aid while the useless cop filled out the report. The tow truck finally arrived but the ambulance never did and I was harassed for months by the cops.

I will continue to render aid to those who need it as I have on numerous occasions in the past but, be preadmonished, charity is not without consequences. While it saddens me greatly to know that humanity has degraded to such a point where the sufferings of our fellows is blase', I can certainly understand not wanting to get involved.

I have been trying to find the entire unaltered video online, but curiously I have been unable to. This video shows just 17-seconds, and part of it is in slow motion and may even be repeated in that small time frame. Try watching it without any sound and with an open mind and you might see a different story unravel-- after I straightened out my wits, I noticed this-- the video and accompanying story are abbreviated by cutting and splicing the parts which illustrate the story the journalist is reading over the video and highly sensationalized. During the short snippet, a van immediately pulls over and I infer that he waits until it is clear that someone goes inside a building -- probably to find a phone -- Consider too that if a fire truck or ambulance were coming, the cars in the street would be trying to move out of the way. It also looks as if only one (maybe two) people on the sidewalk actually saw the accident happen; the pregnant woman to the left who, after just 7 seconds of the man going down, quickly enters the building behind her. Gawker? I don't think so. Notice the man who, after 13 seconds, flags down a passing van while reaching down in traffic to retrieve what looks like the man's hat or sweater. This "gawker" appears scared and confused as he spins around and moves in all manner of directions, probably reacting to the shock and horror of what he is seeing on the street. He came from behind and may not have even seen the actual impact if so he only sees a lifeless body on the street. Witnessing an event like that can make people freeze like deer in the headlight-- they have just seen a horrific event and are trying to register it, and it is very common for people to go into shock when witnessing such an event. I did find a snapshot of a small group of people -- these so-called gawkers -- Look again and notice how they surround the man as if protecting him- there is a large man who is taking a step forward into traffic with this right hand palm forward indicating the stop signal. Others are clearly trying to use their cell phones (and not gawking). The two who have no phone are forming what looks to me to be a protective circle or barrier. Of course the media doesn't show us the rest of the story, so it is hard to tell. If it does turn out that the entire video is representative of a group of uncaring bystanders, I certainly would agree with the popular sentiment, but I did want to remind folks that most people are generally kind and caring and would not just stand by- that is why I decided to study this story in more depth and from a different angle because it just didn't quite add up. It is a very busy street, which is why the man got hit in the first place and I think it's prudent that people did not rush into the mayhem of fast-moving vehicles and get themselves maimed as well. This news piece is reminiscent of the smearing campaign that the late Richard Jewel suffered through, who will forever be linked to the 1996 bomb at the Summer Olympics in Atlanta. Briefly, Mr. Jewell was eventually proved innocent beyond any doubt, but the irresponsible reporting by the media darlings cast a black cloud over his case as well as his pride, integrity and reputation. Like Mr. Jewell, every person in this video are victims too- of the circus media who use their special brand of illusion by omission and commentary that leads the reader/viewer to draw the conclusion the author has intended through splicing, omission and persuasive commentary. Why? Because it sells more newspapers. So I ask you now-- who are the real bad guys here? I don't know the truth any more now than I did yesterday, but I hope that the lines are not so clear any longer. We don't have the full story and because of that we should all remember to reserve judgment. Shame on the cookie cutter news organizations for putting every single person in that video on trial, and casting suspicion and doubt on the entire town and good people of Hartford.

Originally posted by josephine

And thats what paramedics always say to do, never move a body,
you might make things worse.

Of course you dont move the body of a trauma victim that may have C-spine injury. You sure as hell need to make sure they are able to breathe though!!

I am a Firefighter EMT and people dont do much of anything now days but gawk. You sure as hell can use some sense and stoop down and check to see if they are breathing. We call it the ABC's The most immediately life threatening complication of any trauma is loss of airway patency. Maintaining oxygenation and preventing hypercarbia are critical in managing the trauma patient, especially if the patient has sustained a head injury.

A is for Airway. It is much more critical than c-spine management. No breath no life.

[edit on 6-6-2008 by LoneGunMan]

reply to post by Anonymous ATS


www.liveleak.com...

This is the most complete version I have seen.

I had seen this before, and when I came across this post I immediately thought of this. It really is hard to believe.

That's ridiculous, watching it again.. one car that witnessed the event stops to the side for a second, and then keeps going...

[edit on 6-6-2008 by Novise]

Originally posted by Novise

This is the most complete version I have seen.

Did that one thug really walk up and take pictures with his cell phone or am I seeing things?!?!? My God.

Just an update on the hit-and-run:

HARTFORD, Conn. — Hartford police released recording Friday of two 911 calls made shortly after a May 30 hit-and-run that prompted the city's police chief to declare the city lost its "moral compass." FOX News

Altogether city officials claimed that there were four 911 calls.

reply to post by LLoyd45


HI LLoyd, that's for sure, that is where instinct and common sense also play a role.

But this incident was pretty obvious, although I do realize it sometimes takes a few seconds to process what you are seeing.

after watching that video a few times, i simply don't see what almost everyone else appears to be seeing and so quick to judge.

what i see is people horrified. and in shock. and running. and then trying to help. and probably calling 911.

not everyone is trained to react quickly in an emergency or to know what to do. shock paralyzes. and it's only a matter of what maybe a minute that people are out there with him.

that might seem like an eternity, but it wasn't. it takes almost that long to suspend disbelief, overcome shock, and mobilize into action.

sure a few people passed by but that's pretty typical too. you don't know if they even SAW it or noticed it. probably talking on their cells, driving, and thinking about other things. not making excuses, but that's just as likely an explanation.

[edit on 8-6-2008 by ~Lucidity]