Do you stop to help at car accidents?

ixoy · 24-02-2012 03:16PM

Noopti wrote: »

A less serious example, but a similar situation I witnessed a couple of days ago. Was waiting at the bus stop on Dame St with loads of people around, and this young boy (about 5 or 6) walks by bawling his eyes out, calling for his mother. He was really, really distressed. Did anyone try and help the poor kid? Of course not.....not their problem I suppose. :rolleyes:

Many men would, sadly, be afraid to intervene due to some of the hysteria around paedophiles - they'd fear they'd be accused of something.

kingtut · 24-02-2012 03:21PM

ixoy wrote: »

Many men would, sadly, be afraid to intervene due to some of the hysteria around paedophiles - they'd fear they'd be accused of something.

Problem is 9/10 times they would be accused !! :mad:

tfitzgerald · 24-02-2012 03:23PM

If I can I Help out

d9oiu2wk07blr5 · 24-02-2012 03:27PM

Whilst I was travelling into work, I came across an RTA where a motorcyclist was involved in a collision with a vehicle. I stopped to see if I could be of any assistance. There was approximately 10 people standing around, with some of them even on their mobiles. The casualty was unconscious and in addition to nobody attending him, nobody even bothered to phone for a bloody ambulance :eek:.

But this one takes the biscuit, and it puts a whole new meaning on the word rubberneckers. I was heading out one Sunday morning to get my usual newspapers and I noticed a line of cars which were parked up along a stretch of road that also happened to overlook a main motorway. My immediate thought was there must be some football match on....I couldn't have been more wrong

:. When I got home I turned on the radio....to learn that there was a multi-vehicular pile up with fatalities and this is what these rubberneckers had been travelling to observe :eek:. Obviously, they had nothing better to do on a Sunday morning!

Mr.Biscuits · 24-02-2012 03:29PM

Biggins wrote: »

If I was in an accident myself, I would hope someone would stop - well someone as long as it wasn't Tom Cruise!

They're the only ones that can truely help though.

Biggins · 24-02-2012 03:38PM

Mr.Biscuits wrote: »

They're the only ones that can truely help though.

Yea, they could beam me to their spaceship med' section!
Star Trek here we come!

Noopti · 24-02-2012 03:45PM

ixoy wrote: »

Many men would, sadly, be afraid to intervene due to some of the hysteria around paedophiles - they'd fear they'd be accused of something.

Anyone who uses that excuse on a busy city street with dozens of people around is doing just that, making excuses.

Cedrus · 24-02-2012 04:03PM

Noopti wrote: »

Anyone who uses that excuse on a busy city street with dozens of people around is doing just that, making excuses.

Sadly, I've see more than on 'Mother' tear into a man who tried to comfort a hysterical lost child in a supermarket, usually verbal but once it was physical, the stupid B didn't even pause to find out what was happening never mind take account of the fact that SHE was supposed to be looking after her very young child in a public space.

When in the same situation I have kept an eye on things and I'll get between a child and a road or other hazard (one time) but if there's a woman nearby, I'll let her be the one to actually approach the child. It's happened enough times now, that my wife and I just specialise, she goes to the child and I go to the customer desk.

smash · 24-02-2012 04:05PM

By help, do you mean stop and take pics?

bnt · 24-02-2012 04:18PM

I've only ever seen one: a guy walked in to the road and in to a car, as I was walking past. I did try and help, but his injuries were minor and someone more experienced quickly took over. The guy must have been drunk, at lunchtime on a Friday (I think it was).

I've personally been in more accidents than I've seen in person. When I was 4, my dad's car had a blowout and rolled as we went round a fast corner on a country road in Scotland. None of us were wearing seatbelts, but no-one was badly hurt, and I probably thought I was on a very fast fairground ride that gave me a minor bump on the head. Someone did stop and help us, if I remember correctly.

24-02-2012 04:30PM

Well done op !

I would stop and have done only had too once found a lad uncousious in the street stayed with him till the ambulance came. He survived but never knew what happened .

Bookworm85 · 24-02-2012 05:13PM

A few years ago a friend and I were coming out of work for lunch and were heading off to the shop, about 50 metres from the door is a busy junction that is always busy with pedestrians and traffic. I spotted this woman crossing the road who looked a bit sunsteady on her feet. She made it across the road and collapsed giving her head an awful wallop off some railings, we were about about 20-30 metres away and heard the railings ring as her head hit them. The poor woman was out for the count and about 20 people just stood there or stepped over her and watched her passed out and bleeding heavily.

I took out the phone and called for an ambulance and we stayed with her until the ambulance showed up and took her off to hospital (still unconscious), but I was shocked by the amount of people who witnessed this and just stepped over this young woman who collapsed in front of them and did absolutely nothing! How many more people would have walked right past her before somebody decided to call for help if we hadn't been there?

saa · 24-02-2012 05:23PM

Yes I would but hopefully when I have my cpr, first aid, healthcare assistant training I'll be more confident that I will be of use, I would always try even if my role was to delegate tasks, keep the person conscious and in the recovery position while the ambulance gets there, and to make sure someone has called one its very easy in a crowd to think someone else has

ongarboy · 24-02-2012 05:32PM

The below wikipedia link gives a perfect example of bystander effect. It seems to be a human nature thing among more of us than you realise.

I remember being on a packed commuter train into Dublin Connolly a couple of years ago and a guy standing in front of me fainted and slumped to the floor. I went to help him but no one else would assist. Everyone just silently stood almost pretending that they were unaware it happened. As the guy was too heavy for me to lift alone, I had to ask could someone else to assist me. Finally another guy helped and we dragged him to a seat and again I had to ask would someone give their seat up as no-one volunteered.

I actually don't think it's an issue of people who don't help being rude or having bad manners but rather some fear of being the centre of attention if you help while an audience watches you. I must admit I felt a bit uncomfortable in that particular spotlight as everone silently watched as I'm not an attention seeking type but I could not just leave the poor guy there.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Kitty_Genovese
This part of the article in particular is interesting:

The lack of reaction of numerous neighbors watching the scene prompted research into diffusion of responsibility and the bystander effect. Social psychologists John Darley and Bibb Latané started this line of research, showing that contrary to common expectations, larger numbers of bystanders decrease the likelihood that someone will step forward and help a victim. The reasons include the fact that onlookers see that others are not helping either, that onlookers believe others will know better how to help, and that onlookers feel uncertain about helping while others are watching

Bruthal · 24-02-2012 05:43PM

Biggins wrote: »

I learned a lesson to have one, while driving home one night and a stone cracked the front screen of the car.
It was winter and as I still eventually, was able to drive (pre-mobile phone era), those with me in the back was cold from the wind able to blow in as I drove slowly home.
A blanket thereafter was kept in the car for such repeats of similar happenings in future.

Yes similar to why i always have the decent flashlight in the car all the time. You just never know when you will be stuck. Or someone else is.

Run_to_da_hills · 24-02-2012 06:26PM

xsiborg wrote: »

this.

it's becoming all too common nowadays and even so more prevalent in america for accident victims to seek compensation from their rescuers, so it is only a matter of time before we hear of a case of it here in "compo culture" ireland.

The reason I mentioned Germany is that my Uncle was a GP for the US occupied forces shortly after the War. My old man was driving along an Autobahn with him in Porche, they came across a serious RTA, instead of pulling over my uncle put the boot down. His reason was that he wasn't covered for liability insurance other than in the military service.

My old man was horrified at this and got out of the car at the next opportunity. I believe it is like that to this day. If you are professional, unless you are assigned to roadside emergencies in these countries you don't get involved.

AngryBollix · 24-02-2012 06:47PM

I prefer to point and laugh at stupid drivers

Bruthal · 24-02-2012 06:59PM

flanders1979 wrote: »

Why not, the man is practically Jesus.

He probably wouldnt approve of you receiving pain relief if you have to have a leg sawn off anyway.

Mint Sauce · 24-02-2012 07:06PM

People out of their cars walking about following a fender bender... Drive on

People still in cars but with others assisting... Will more than likely slow down or stop to see if can be of assistance

No one present... Stop, call guards/ambulance, wait till they arrive, do what I can or is safe to de in mean time.

It would be on my mind all day and following days if did nothing.

The Big Red Button · 24-02-2012 11:35PM

meoklmrk91 wrote: »

I was in a car accident not long after I first started driving, about six months. Was coming around a normal bend at about 30mph when the car just started to skid out of no where, crashed into a fence but me and my friend who were in the car were fine, even so a car with two fellas that was behind me and saw everything just drove on past.

I rang my dad who came down immediately and ate the head of me, assuming I was speeding etc. The gardai arrived on and made sure we were okay and once we got the car going we headed along. Then just a around the corner there were the two lads who had passed us out, they had had a much worse crash than us and the car was in bits as they had gone up on a ditch and crashed into a pole. As it turned out there was oil spilled on the road which caused both accident, my Dad was eating crow. And as for the two lads in the car well I suppose karma is a bitch. For that reason I always help when I come upon an accident. Pulled two drunk lads out of a caddy that was upside down with it's nose stuck in a ditch. They were both out of it and were very lucky to walk away, never ever drink and drive kids!

But why would you pull them out? God, you could've done serious damage to them!

That's a big fear of mine, that I'd be in an accident, and some well-meaning do-gooders would f*ck me up worse by dragging me out of the car!!! It's not a Hollywood movie, the chances of the car exploding into flames are pretty damn slim! Just wait for the professionals who are actually trained to move injured people! It's basic common sense!

As for the drivers in the OP who drove on by ... that's pretty sick. I've witnessed near-accidents, and have actually had to pull in afterwards just to get my head straight! Don't know how anyone could witness an accident and just continue on their way!

Only accident I've ever come across, was when I was walking into town with a friend of mine, when we were maybe 16-17. A Polish woman, her five year old son, and baby daughter, were hit crossing the road. We came along just after it happened, everyone else was over with the baby in the buggy, so me and my friend sat with the boy (a good bit away), he had a broken leg, so we just took off his shoe and sock and kept an umbrella over him and chatted away to him. Poor little guy was only concerned about his baby sister, we heard afterwards she was in a coma, we never did find out if she survived or not.

Anyone who could continue on their way without even trying to help just has something missing inside, in my opinion.

Jimoslimos · 25-02-2012 02:45AM

Deleted User wrote: »

Well she did!! I arrived in Crumlin and she wasn't there, so the nurse did some investigation and was told that she had insisted she be taken to Temple Street because there was a muslim doctor there. And we were in Donnybrook, pretty much on the Canal so they could have gotten to Crumlin much quicker.

Obviously wasn't that hysterical then, although perhaps it wasn't solely based on religion but communication/language barrier as well.

Lucifer31 · 25-02-2012 04:25AM

Yes I would, if the occassion arose. Absolutely. If I thought someone was hurt, I couldn't drive by, late for work or not... Was first at the scene following a bike / car smash in Dundalk in 1996. Was not pretty.

Raditub · 25-02-2012 07:06AM

It actually happened to me in the past and i did stop twice one time i was actually able to help! ...Other time it was too late unfortunately

But its always better to stop...sher u cant do anything wrong..besides not stopping!

Do you stop to help at car accidents?

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