Don't be an ostrich...

well done mate. mucho respect.

i was also the first at the scene of an accident.
some teenager clipped a kerb going down a country road, (i was behind) and swerved across the road into an oncoming motorbike.
needless to say who came off the worse.

then the car just sped away, but luckily i got his plate number.
i stopped, and tried to do my best for the guy on the bike.
put my jacket over him.
called an ambulance. etc...
another guy who was behind me, done the traffic management thing.

we were trying to keep the road clear for the emergency services
we also had some idiots who were beeping their horns because we stopped the traffic. i felt like giving someone a smack for their impatience. there are some idiots about!

this happen about 10 years ago, and i can still see it in my minds eye like it was yesterday.
 
I saw an RTA in Reading the other day and there must have been over 30 people on the bridge over the accident with cameras and phones out taking photos. The amount of camera flashes was amazing. Some people were running over to the accident just to take photos. Made me quite angry in all honesty because someone was trapped and last thing they needed was flashing all around them.
 
I remember years back i was shopping at my local high street.. and as i was walking up the road i saw an old lady fall over, what shocked me was no one went to help her so i dashed across the road to help her up.. People are a strange bunch nowdays.
 
ShaolinDreams said:
I remember years back i was shopping at my local high street.. and as i was walking up the road i saw an old lady fall over, what shocked me was no one went to help her so i dashed across the road to help her up.. People are a strange bunch nowdays.
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If people helped others who have fallen over it's only a matter of time before one of the "victims" turns out to be a 14 year old and the person helping accidently brushes her boob with his coat. Cue their arrest for "sexual assault" or inappropriate contact with a minor follwed by a trip to court, a criminal record and their name on the sex offenders register.

I can fully understand why some people choose keep their heads down these days.
 
gambitt said:
If people helped others who have fallen over it's only a matter of time before one of the "victims" turns out to be a 14 year old and the person helping accidently brushes her boob with his coat. Cue their arrest for "sexual assault" or inappropriate contact with a minor follwed by a trip to court, a criminal record and their name on the sex offenders register.

I can fully understand why some people choose keep their heads down these days.
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Excuses. Just admit you can't be bothered.
 
I forget the details of the study I heard about, where a violent crime was staged in public, but it concluded that people are less likely to step in to a situation when there are more people in the area - and the more people there are around, the less likely any one of them will step in. So if you ever get yourself into a situation where you need help, hope there's only a few people around - if there's a big crowd, you're more likely to end up on your own.
 
Maybe I'm missing the point of this thread but...

Surely if every passer by stopped to help out at the scene of an accident then is would just turn into a complete farce and cause chaos...no doubt exacerbating the problem with a dozen people with zero experience of handling these situations try and figure out the best course of action. If you come across a situation which appears to be under control, exactly what value are you adding by adding your tuppence worth in? None.

The old saying "too many cooks spoil the broth" is very apt in a situation like this.

Sure, if there is an injured person, try your best to make sure they are comfortable but it doesn't take a whole team of wannabe heroes to do that.
 
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ThePirateHulk said:
Maybe I'm missing the point of this thread but...

Surely if every passer by stopped to help out at the scene of an accident then is would just turn into a complete farce and cause chaos...no doubt exacerbating the problem with a dozen people with zero experience of handling these situations try and figure out the best course of action. If you come across a situation which appears to be under control, exactly what value are you adding by adding your tuppence worth in? None.

The old saying "too many cooks spoil the broth" is very apt in a situation like this.

Sure, if there is an injured person, try your best to make sure they are comfortable but it doesn't take a whole team of wannabe heroes to do that.
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My thoughts exactly. I've helped the odd person who has broken down by helping push their car but if I drove past an RTA and I saw several people on the phone, getting jackets and holding the victim still as described in the OP, I would assume the emergency services have already been called. I'm not a first aider, rescue worker or wannabe hero (nicely put by the way :D ). I have nothing to offer the situation except to get in the way of the other 5 or so people who appear to be handling the situation, not to mention clogging up the road even more.

If I witnessed an RTA right in front of me and thus be the first on the scene then of course I will get out and help. But we can't ALL be right behind the accident can we? :rolleyes: What if EVERYONE got out to help? It would be chaos. That's why most people drive on and don't get in the way, not because they don't care. I'd wager that a few people who drove by without stopping also called the emergency services just in case.

How many instances do we hear about where NO ONE stops to assist after witnessing an RTA? 1 in a few million? If it did happen the media would make damn sure we'd hear about it! The OP makes it sound like there are people dying in the streets of Britain everyday while the evil public just walk by taking photos while pointing and laughing.
 
I've stopped a fight the resulted from a small traffic accident but haven't seen too many accidents before. If it looks like there are people helping then I won't stick around, as I doubt I'd contribute anything extra to the situation.

Also Ostriches lay their head on the ground when threatened but their nests are also just holes in the ground and from far away it can look like an Ostrich has buried its head in the sand even though it's just using it's beak to turn the eggs.

Good job FF for helping out.
 
Good on you for helping out!

I think there was a thread a while back, perhaps a year or two ago, about someone else who helped out during an incident. World needs more people like you two :)
 
Only on here would people miss the pertinent part of the thread to argue semantics over whether the ostrich analogy is accurate and if they actually DO bury their head in the sand or just lay it flat or close to the ground :rolleyes:

Seriously people, get something worth worrying about in your lives....
 
gambitt said:
My thoughts exactly. I've helped the odd person who has broken down by helping push their car but if I drove past an RTA and I saw several people on the phone, getting jackets and holding the victim still as described in the OP, I would assume the emergency services have already been called. I'm not a first aider, rescue worker or wannabe hero (nicely put by the way :D ). I have nothing to offer the situation except to get in the way of the other 5 or so people who appear to be handling the situation, not to mention clogging up the road even more.

If I witnessed an RTA right in front of me and thus be the first on the scene then of course I will get out and help. But we can't ALL be right behind the accident can we? :rolleyes: What if EVERYONE got out to help? It would be chaos. That's why most people drive on and don't get in the way, not because they don't care. I'd wager that a few people who drove by without stopping also called the emergency services just in case.

How many instances do we hear about where NO ONE stops to assist after witnessing an RTA? 1 in a few million? If it did happen the media would make damn sure we'd hear about it! The OP makes it sound like there are people dying in the streets of Britain everyday while the evil public just walk by taking photos while pointing and laughing.
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You are a very cynical and sad man :( It's a shame as the world is a wonderful place if you put the effort in to make it better.

And no, according to the emergency services, the most people do, is stand around to check what's going on and look, some ring 999 (which isn't too bad) and that's it - the rest don't stick around - i.e. pull over and help. I could have easily carried on driving, but I had a duty as a decent person to a) give my witness testimony to the police owing to the fact I was right there, but most importantly b) to try and help the peoples concerned if I could.

That assumption that you make is poor, else the emergency service's reaction to my help was completely blown out of the window and disproportionate. Heck, we have firemen, and paramedics being attacked when trying to treat and help people?! WTF? The emergency services do an amazing job, and if I'm in a situation where I can help a victim until they get there, I'm going to bloody well do it.

You, gambitt, were the same person that wouldn't bother returning a wallet to a police station if I remember. Though I'm glad you admitted that if you were directly behind it you would stop... you do realise it might delay your trip home by over an hour yes?!!!! :eek: Or you might be late for work?!!! I seem to remember both those issues being very important to you ;)

I really do hope your opinion on the world changes, negativity breeds negativity.
 
Richie said:
Only on here would people miss the pertinent part of the thread to argue semantics over whether the ostrich analogy is accurate and if they actually DO bury their head in the sand or just lay it flat or close to the ground :rolleyes:

Seriously people, get something worth worrying about in your lives....
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This is OcUK, where pedantry is rife! I really don't mind as 90% of the "higher tier" members understood the analogy for what it was about ;)
 
I keep a high-vis, blanket and first aid kit in the car for such occasions. Also, if you actually witness the accident, especially if its serious, stop regardless of how many other people have stopped. your witness statement could prove very useful to Police. It's amazing how many differences you'll get between witnesses seeing the same incident.
 
Very much so kudos to you, although going with the a lot of people don't hang around, I can actually vouch for certain people doing that. I'm an aussie over here on a working visa for 2 years, and another of my friends a few years ago did the same thing and I'm sure it wasn't exactly as he tells me, but he says he did much the same thing and tried to help and ended up being sent home to Australia and wasn't allowed back over here for 6 months or something silly. Personally I would hate myself for not helping but I think I would try and leave before police get involved as it only causes hassles if your not a citizen..

Don't want to take anything away from you though, very commendable especially organising other people to help out at the same time.
 
Very torn on this one. I think fear might get in the way for me - fear of doing the wrong thing, fear of putting myself in danger, fear of causing more problems than I'd solved. I'm not exactly a good eyewitness either.

So maybe I'm one of the 70%. I've walked away from a couple of RTAs. One of them the authorities were already there though so my conscience is clear on that one at least.

Kudos to you for getting stuck in though. Whether or not I could do it I have much respect for those that can and do.
 
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