Do you stop to help if you see an accident or an injured person?
By Stephanie5
@Stephanie5 (2946)
United States
January 25, 2007 10:38am CST
Would you help people if you came upon them after an accident or an injury?? You would think that everyone would, but they don't...
I went to Sonic one night for a milkshake when I lived in Tennessee....
Sonic was on the main road in town and when I started to get close to it, I noticed a bunch of people run out to the road. Well, as I got closer they all turned around and ran back and left a young boy laying in the middle of the road!!! He had been hit by a car and noone would help him!!! Well, I parked my truck right in the middle of the road and jumped out to help him! He was not awake and he was bleeding really bad and he wasn't breathing well.
I sat beside him and started to swipe the blood and teeth out of his mouth with my finger because he was choking...when the car hit him, he hit the windsheild face first and he was choking on his teeth that had been knocked out. So, I'm there trying to help him breathe and I have people yelling at me to stop touching him and that I'm touching his blood...I'm like SO FREAKING WHAT!!! It's my choice.. I'm not going to stand there and let him choke to death on his own teeth! I couldn't believe that noone else would help me!! NOONE! One lady did end up coming over, she wouldn't touch him though, she only prayed ( I am thankful for that)
When the police arrived I was shocked...The cop wouldn't help me either. He did offer me a pair of gloves though, how nice of him, whatever! But he would not help me do anything. The boy was in hospital for 5 weeks, but ended up being ok for the most part.
I'm sorry, but I don't care..If someone is laying there and needs my help, I will take my chances on getting a disease (this was a young boy-maybe 13-14), I will not allow someone to lay there and die because I'm afraid of getting my hands dirty.
What would you have done? Would you of walked away? Are you surprised that noone would help or is that what you expect?
I have a heart, I couldn't just walk away. How could anyone?
Don't think that I'm going to get mad or start bashing you if you answer that you wouldn't help. I really just want to know how everyone else feels about this! All quality responses will be marked with a (+) whether I agree with you or not!
26 people like this
99 responses
@Alexandria37 (5717)
• Ireland
25 Jan 07
Most times I have stopped whenever I have come across accidents on the road. I don't know much about first aid, but I always carry a kit, a blanket, some wet wipes and towels in my car, just for emergencies and for when I have my grandchildren in the car. I have never been of much help as somebody with a little knowledge of first aid alway got there before me. I have however given my kit and my blanket away a few times, and even my unbrella. On one occasion I took a young couple to the hospital, as there was nobody else around and they were not seriously hurt.
5 people like this
@Kaldonya (277)
• United States
25 Jan 07
That is HORRIBLE that noone else would help, and even WORSE that the police officer would not! What, were they afraid thinking they'd catch AIDS or something like that? GRRRR.... it just bothers me when I hear people like that, and that sometimes people think more of themselves than of helping others. For the *most* part, if it's an accident, I will stop unless there are already people there that are HELPING, or emergency people already on the scene. I've actually never come across anything like you've described before. The ones I've come across have been minor crashes.
4 people like this
@texasclassygal (5305)
• United States
25 Jan 07
I would help, but that is just the kind of person I am, most will not even stop to help. When I lived in Philadelphia I was walking in the shopping district on a rainy Saturday afternoon and a bum came up to me and starting beating me over the head with his umbrella until I fell to the ground, mind you it was a crowded Saturday afternoon, not one person stopped, not even a police man came to my assistance, the best I could do was pick myself up and go to the police to file a report, which they said they could not do anything cause there were no witnesses. I wish more people would put themselves out there to help those that cannot be helped, it would make the world a better to live in.
Thank you for sharing
3 people like this
@Stephanie5 (2946)
• United States
25 Jan 07
OMG! Why did he start hitting you? What the heck? That's crazy! I'm so sorry that happened to you! If I was there I would of helped you ;-)!!! Hope that never happens again....crazy people.
1 person likes this
@SwayingThunder (444)
• United States
25 Jan 07
I would most definately have stopped. I have many times before. It's very difficult for me because I was an EMT for many years and I burned out so bad that now my sub-conscious doesn't want to allow me to deal with anything medical. But I have stopped and helped many times, just gotten sick later. Better me sick than someone else dying because I was heartless. When we were living in Texas people were like that. You could be in a wreck and 20 people would pass by just slow down so they could gossip about what they had seen later. We now live in North Carolina (in the Smokey Mountains) and since being here I've noted that if there is a wreck then it's just the opposite. 20 will stop for every 1 that just goes on by. I love it here so much more. I salute you in your bravery. :-)
2 people like this
@lesterdsa (1638)
• India
25 Jan 07
i have helped a number of accident victims in the past and will always help and so was i helped in a accident its like u give and u get it some day back
@andromedaglax (22)
• Pakistan
25 Jan 07
Yes i stop for help when i saw an accident on a road and i helped that man.i think its our duty to help .
2 people like this
@lynne3 (66)
• United States
25 Jan 07
Yes,I would stop. I have stopped countless times and am amazed as you are at how people just go on about their business. I live in Philadelphia,Pa. Going up RT.1 on a saturday afternoon, a woman was lying at the edge the the sidewalk. Who knows how many people passed her before I saw her and stopped to help. Walking home I saw a SEPTA bus hit a teenage girl,throwing her into the air. Everyone else kept on going, this also was in the afternoon,broad daylight. An elderly woman was sprawled on the courner of a very busy intersection bleeding,no one stopped. Amazed doesn't begin to describe how I feel. Mans' inhumanity to man, It's sad.
1 person likes this
@patgalca (18390)
• Orangeville, Ontario
25 Jan 07
I am also amazed that people kept on walking because people are always very curious. You see the images on television where people gather to see what is going on when there are fire and police, etc. No, they may not help but they would stop and gawk. :(
1 person likes this
@ronita34 (3922)
• Canada
26 Jan 07
Like you i also have a heart and there is no way that i could have just walked away. A boy that is 13 to 14 years of age has little to no possibility of having a disease and it is wrong tolay there and watch him die. I believe that if it wasn't for you this young man would of lost his life!!! I am also thankful that at least he other woman came to pray. All the others that just stood around to watch this boy die deserve to be punished. that is cruel and something that i personally can not believe. I mean what is this world coming too? God Bless and thank god for you!!!
@Stephanie5 (2946)
• United States
26 Jan 07
Thank you very much for your kind words. I really appreciate it. Hopefully those people have already got what's coming to them for being so selfish! My reward was the boy living! God Bless you too!
@men82in (1268)
• India
26 Jan 07
I would like to bring out an experience which we faced at the midnight. Myself along with six other guys were appointed as the Friends of Police and we used to help the Cops at night in their night patrols. We would separate in two persons each street in the process of patrolling. One day, when we gathered at 1.00 AM in the midnight where we would all have some tea and biscuits, I found something glowing brightly at a distance. And I told my friends about that and we all rushed there to know what was happening. There we saw a shop burning heavily near by a temple and we were very shocked to see that. We tried to woke up the neighbours to get something to bring down the fire, but some were not helping us fearing that they would get caught in the fire. When one of our friends poured some water into the fire, he was thrown away by electric shock which was passed through the water. Then we found that there was electric shock and decided not to pour water to estinguish the fire. Then we tried with throwing sand. Finally the Fire engine came and before that every thing was into ashes. I think that at that moment if we had the help of the near by house people we could have definitely saved something. But in vain, we lost everything even after all our efforts
@nw1911guy (1131)
• United States
26 Jan 07
Your situation is precisely why they teach about blood-borne pathogens in first aid now. I would stop to help, and I usually keep a first aid kit in the car along with a pair of gloves.
1 person likes this
@dreamsncharms (1340)
• United States
26 Jan 07
non latex for me please.. after using those for so long they just tear my hands up. i have a mini kit now. i used to have a giant one but i am not a volly right now. hehe.
1 person likes this
@chrchldy (41)
• United States
27 Jan 07
I would certainly stop and help no matter what. I some states the victime can sue you so many wont help but thank God i live in Idaho and they can not sue u in this state. but under any conditions i believe it everyone's duty to help Jesus said that not on should perish thank God four people like you.
1 person likes this
@mkeanel01 (974)
• Philippines
26 Jan 07
I WILL DEFINITELY STOP.. I LOVE HELPING PEOPLE.. BACK IN MY HIGH SCHOOL LIFE I WAS SUPPOSED TO GET ON THE BUS WHEN I SAW AN OLD WOMAN THAT WANTS TO GO TO THE OTHER SIDE AND SOME STUDENT JUST IGNORING HER..I LET THE BUS TO GO AND I HELP THE OLD WOMAN CROSS THE STREET.. I EVEN GOT A MEDAL FOR DOING THAT, BECAUSE OUR PRINCIPAL SAW THAT SOMEWHERE AROUND THE WINDOWS OF OUR CAMPUS.. I WAS SHOCK WHEN I RECIEVED THAT MEDAL.. I AM ALSO HAPPY TO FOR HELPING HTAT OLD WOMAN..
1 person likes this
@Stephanie5 (2946)
• United States
26 Jan 07
That's very nice that you did that! I'm happy that you recieved a medal also...see, what comes around, goes around...you were awarded for doing such a good deed! Congrats!
@mkeanel01 (974)
• Philippines
26 Jan 07
oww i forgot to mentioned,that old woman has an injured left foot and i think she's a beggar or something..because her clothes are dirty..
1 person likes this
@rjbass (1422)
• United States
26 Jan 07
Absolutely!
I have been the recipient of help after an accident. While in college, I was broadsided at an intersection by someone who ran a red light. Though I was still conscious, I was in a state of shock and thankfully not seriously hurt. It happened so fast that before I knew what had happened there were at least 10 kind folks hovering around the car asking if I was ok. I stumbled out of my totalled car and was immediately met with help; people were telling me to lie down, they took their jackets off so I had a comfortable place to lay in the middle of the street, they called 911, and the list goes on. I remember feeling at ease and thought to myself that everything would be ok because of these selfless people.
This was over 15 years ago and was a turning point for me about the way I thougt about myself and how the act of kindness really can make a difference in someone elses life whether it be a frien, family member, or a total stranger.
1 person likes this
@jbones32103 (717)
• United States
26 Jan 07
I'm very happy to see there are others like me. I thought I was the only one. Thank you for being the person you are now. I would have stopped. God told you to help because others wouldn't. Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I would have done the same thing and not cared what others thought. We are all going to die one day. Don't they know about the good samaritian man story in the Bible? God wants us to help and love others. You done the right thing.
1 person likes this
@hiyellowmoon (555)
• India
26 Jan 07
yup but not always.as there are many problems related to that like the one we are having the responsibility to say in the court that the such and such vehicle was held in the accident,since you are the eyewitness and the second thing is you have to be always with this guy if he is orfan and also must provide money when he is needed and also there are lot many do's and don't for that person so actually time factor is also a question i don't have time to interfere in those things and also very less bothered until they are ma relatives or some.and also having some humanity considerations i will help them if the accident was in his favor or its due to the opposite party's mistake.
@deadman007 (189)
• India
26 Jan 07
of course thats what is humanity all about.i ahve helped many peoples..coz i know that when i will meet with a accident.....come one wil come an help me then y shoudnt i
1 person likes this
@kumarkislay (90)
• India
26 Jan 07
depends! to be honest I will definetly see to it that this will not put me in some sort of trouble.
1 person likes this
