I was riding to work this morning and found what turned out to be a 14 year old boy lying in the middle of the road broken, bleeding and screaming with pain after being hit by a car that didn’t even stop.

Looked much worse than it turned out to be, just a couple of broken bones, cuts and grazes.

Once the emergency services arrived and I gave a statement I set off for work but I’ve not been right all day. Keep imagining him lying there crying.

I was first to him then a woman came to help but every other **** just drove on.

I don’t know Gary, but I’m glad you stopped and helped.

Hope he’s OK.

As for the others…Herd Behaviour

I was waiting to cross the road in Hull one day with around 30 or more other people. A clearly blind man started walking across from the other side, despite the fact that it definitely wasn’t safe to do so! 30 people just looked at him and each other uneasily, as if paralysed and didn’t want to be the first to act/speak. Interestingly, I’d had a couple of beers so perhaps my inhibitions were a bit lower and I was the first to move out into the road to help him across. I don’t think it was that people in the group were not kind, it’s just that we sometimes struggle to snap into the mode that involves us taking actions like that.

Slightly different with the kid in the road though! People are in bubbles when in their cars though, shut off from the world.

There is the Bystander Effect – everyone assumes someone else will help. But yes, I can’t understand it either.

Well done you for doing the right thing, glad he is going to be OK.

If it’s hit and run the Police will be using local press to appeal for witnesses. Like to think that they would mention idiots not stopping to help as well.

Nice one for stopping.

And yes, there are some seriously odd behaviors that happen. Many years ago a friend crashed her mini into a ditch – lonely country road, no mobiles. She waited about an hour / 20-40 cars before someone realised that a woman lying on the grass waving next to a crashed and steaming car needed help… 😯

Bystander Effect plus some people just have very messed up priorities: more important for them to get to work on time than help an injured child. 🙁

Good on you for stopping and helping.

if you are first on scene, I can’t understand how someone would not stop, but how many people have to be there before the rubbernecker effect comes into play?

Fcking inhuman self-absorbed sociopathic shite-shiners. ‘bystander-effect’ is a product of our bubble lives, the car being the ultimate bubble.

Good for you for doing the one simple thing that one would hope anyone would do. I too hope the police spread the shame. I still cannot believe my eyes watching that toddler on Chinese CCTV, hit by multiple cars and left in the street as multiple ppl walked by? Not caring for those harmed is in some ways worse than any crime.

I was first to him then a woman came to help but every other **** just drove on

Why would you expect anybody else to stop (unless they were a doctor/nurse etc. who could add something over and above what the lad was already receiving)?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad you stopped and helped the lad…but how many others are required to stop?

As I understand it, the Chinese thing was sightly different.
As I recall they have some law about the person who stops being financially responsible for potentially crippling hospital bills!

if you are first on scene, I can’t understand how someone would not stop

No neither can I, just doesn’t make any sense to me.

dooosuk people drove past him before I got to him. Unbelievably there were people trying to squeeze their cars past him and the raised kerb in the middle of the two lanes when he was lying in the middle of the road. I found a road cone to block the road.

Unfortunately I’ve had to call for an ambulance for a few people over the years, the one that pissed me off the most was while I was knealt next to the poor chap in the road, trying to keep him conscious and still, and assess, while also on the phone for an ambulance, there were a few people nearby watching, but not one of them came over to help, or even ask if we needed help, that was bad enough, but the arsehole medal has to go to the woman in the car who sat there leaning on her horn becasue she couldn’t get past! 😯

Think I’ve mentioned it on here before but I hit a queue of traffic in a strange place on an A road, people turning round rather than queuing etc. Got to find a biker sprawled out in the middle of the road quite far from his bike, but nobody with him.

Obviously I spun it around and found an alternative route to McD’s.

I once saw a young lad on a L plated scooter lose it on a fuel spill going round an island, cars just driving round him like he was street furniture. Poor kid was really shook up, nobody stopped to help me pick his bike up and get him off the road. I guess cyclists may be more sympathetic to the crashing on busy roads…

I crashed my bike when I was a student – nothing serious, just one of those topples that leaves you a bit shaken up. No-one did anything apart from a little old lady who toddled over on her two walking sticks to see if I was okay.

Human beings are often shameful creatures, and people have the audacity to say we live in a civilized society, there is absolutely nothing civilized or humane about squeezing your car past a ran over child to get on your way, tossers.

I slid on ice last year, arched over my back and winded myself when I landed. As many folk drove around me when I couldn’t quite get up, to get into work – my work! (gits). A lady who witnessed me hitting the deck did check I was ok, as did a passing cycling when I eventually got up and pushed the bike into work. They aren’t all bad at least.

Good on you Gary. I don’t know you, but I know you’ve shown one of the greatest human qualities: compassion.

If you’re struggling (and it may not hit you until later) it might be worth finding someone to talk to about it. Don’t assume because you weren’t the victim that it won’t affect you.

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I recall being sprawled on the floor after a pedestrian* stepped right into my path as I was riding to work. He was next to me out cold. Car drivers waited as long as their patience permitted and then drove round me. Thankfully people on foot stopped and called the police and an ambulance.

I think much of it is the infection of constant forward motion in a car. By the time people have processed what’s going on, they can;t get their heads round pulling up and deviating from “normal” behaviour in a car: keep moving forwards.

*A blind man on his way to theological college. Can you imagine the shame…?!

jings 🙁 good on you though. Whereabouts was it on your route ?

If you’re struggling (and it may not hit you until later) it might be worth finding someone to talk to about it. Don’t assume because you weren’t the victim that it won’t affect you.

It certainly did affect me, as soon I was clear of the scene I called my wife to tell her and burst into tears. Can’t wait to get home and I’m sure there will be more tears later.

It was near parklands Iain just before the mini roundabout, boy was crossing the road to go for the school bus.

Came off on some ice on a small country lane once, hell of a splat, fortunately wasn’t alone and my friends came back to help me, didn’t stop the baggage in the Range Rover from bipping her horn because I wasn’t scraping my battered carcass off the tarmac fast enough for her liking.

Pretty minor in the grand scheme of things but rather indicative of the mindset discussed. I’ve jumped out of my van to help people a few times over the years so like to think I’m better then that but if I’m being honest I’ve probably driven past stuff blithely unaware on more than one occasion.

People do act in a seemingly calus way sometimes. I tripped head first down an escalator on the underground on my way to work in rush hour about 15 years ago. Four or five people stepped ovef me – some tutting – before anyone asked if I was alright. Still takes my breath away when I think about it.

I have to say that when I was knocked off my bike by an idiot driver I was very impressed by how many people immediately stopped to help. One person not only gave me and my bike a lift home (I felt OK enough to go home rather than to hospital but the bike was a write off so I needed help getting there) but then popped back round later in the day on his way home to check that I was OK. I’d like to think that I’d do something similar if I saw someone who needed help.

My mate hit a kid that stepped out in front of his bike when the lights were green. A motorist wound down their window to laugh.

On a more positive note a van driver collected my bike that fell of my car on a dual carriageway

7 times in the last 3 years ive stopped at an accident, people faling over, coming off bikes or car crashes, and every time waited until more help arrives, number of ignorant people who drive past or bip their horns because the road is slightly blocked.

Well done Gary M.the roadside is a lonely place to wait for an ambulance for an injured person,

Good on you Gary. I work in the emergency services and it’s folk like you that can save lives before we get there.

At least no one was stood there filming the incident on their mobile whilst still doing nothing.
That REALLY pees me off. 😈

Bloody hell, that’s awful. Well done though mate.

I used to work in a big DIY chain. A story one colleague told me from another store showed what people can be like. An elderly man had slipped near the tills and gashed his head open on a shelf. He was out cold and there was blood everywhere – serious situation. As you can imagine all the staff went to his aid, two people attending to him and others trying to stop people coming near, phoning ambulance. After a short while a woman who wanted to pay started mouthing off that she wasn’t being served. Apparantely one member of staff (probably a manager) promptly took her goods and told her to get out of the store and never come back!

Christmas eve on the A14, my wife insisted on stopping to check on an apparently broken down fiesta. With 2 older folks around it.

Turns out they had been in a crunch with a car in front and one behind, both of whom had driven off. Their car wouldn’t re-start and had some damage, no phone between them, on handing the phone over I assumed they call the police what with the car blocking a major road and all, but no, the old chap called his wife for a pick up while my wife insisted on getting them both off the road and onto the hard shoulder.

About 5 cars nearly clipped mine which I’d stopped ahead of theirs and got as far off the road as I could – all passing cars were dishing out evil eyes as they passed, the only person who stopped to check up on us all was a woman with 3 kids in the car who looked like she had her hands full anyway.

Luckily once I’d found out they hadn’t called the police I did, but just as I got through I could see the blue lights in the distance. We left shortly after the policeman arrived and started to arrange recovery with them.

But yeah. most people would have just left them there stranded, I mean they were causing the traffic they were all in afterall!

Had a similar thing when knocked off my bike, lying on the pavement with my foot bent 90 degrees the wrong way, I was holding my leg in pain. It was a busy road must have been 20 odd cars passed, including one who slowed down and wound down the window to laugh at me. At least the woman who hit me stopped a bit further down the road and came back. Another guy stopped and stayed with me until the ambulance arrived, never did get to thank him.

At least no one was stood there filming the incident on their mobile whilst still doing nothing.
That REALLY pees me off.

Just remind them in your best Victor Melgrew voice that the last person caught filming injured persons,had to go to hospital to have the phone removed from their rectum.

walking my wife off nantyarian with a smashed collar bone, stupidly both of us had forgot our phones. We were passed by 3 other riders… even when you spoke to them “excuse me have you got a phone I can use pleas…” they just rode on past head down deliberately avoiding eye contact. Shits everywhere in this world.

I was once hooning down buchanan street at night on my fixie skidder and I lost the front end and then the back end on a diesel/bin juice spill I hit the deck hard, really hard and slid a good 25 meters before coming to a stop feet still strapped into the pedals.

Miraculously I was completely unhurt but I was pretty tied up in the bike and in hysterics, my mate was doubled over too a few people walked on past. Eventually sortin myself out I noticed a guy coming up the street absolutely legless one careful footstep at a time we thought he was just pissed and were expecting a random drunk type chat. But no he got to us and over much slurring he said he saw me go down and had come to help.

So maybe everyone should be stocious when driving.

Good on you Gary. I got hit a few years ago on Kilmarnock Road in Shawlands and after coming to a couple of guys wound down the window and had a right good laugh…in fairness the woman who nailed me hung around and when asked who she was by the police, she replied (in a strong Glaswegian accent) “Ahm the wan that hit him” 🙂

I was riding my motorbike to work and approaching a stretch were the speed limit increased to 40. I could see quite a queue up ahead with brake lights and swerving aplenty. When I joined the queue it seemed like chaos, it was only when I got to the head of it I saw the problem. It was an 18 month old toddler walking along in the middle of the road.

Not one person stopped to help him.

I parked my bike up and went to get him off the road and still had people swerving around me without waiting for me to get him off the carriageway.

After some muffled “Where do you live thens?” I took my helmet off and after a few “Where’s mummy?” he toddled off to nearby driveway where I found his pushchair.

There are some good people around as Gary demonstrates. I’ve helped others and been helped. I was knocked off by a postman reversing out of a blind entrance onto the cycle lane along a main road throwing me into the middle of the carriageway. The following driver managed to swerve around me and the next one stopped to protect me and block the road. A woman came out of her house and took my bike for safe keeping until I could pick it up. The postman was honest about what had happened and the Post Office accepted responsibility so I asked the police to drop charges which they did (in France BTW).

Many years ago when I was but a young lad, I was walking to the local shops when I saw a moped rider come off her ped when going too fast round a roundabout, slide across the road and hit her head hard on the kerb

I went to check on her and she was very dazed though I couldn’t see any obvious injuries

Fortunately there was a phone box within 10 metres (no mobile phones then!), and an ambulance and the police turned up within minutes

I gave a brief statement and went to do my shopping

The next week I learnt from the local paper that she’d been charged with drink driving and later lost her licence 😕

I tried to remind myself that I’d actually done the right thing!

I know there are horrow stories as above but i think most people are helped look at the response above.

Walking to work i saw a girl come off her bike on the other side of the road she got up instantly but she was obviously a bit shaken by the time i crossed over a bt man working on a junction box had her sitting in the van with a cup of tea and the bike propped up against his van. I checked the bike over more to make her feel better about it still being safe and carried on my way.

I meant to tweet bt about it but totally forgot.

People can be nice too so best not to dwell on the negatives to much.

Good on ya for being the one that stopped. Hope the lad is on the mend.

On a personal note, I had someone rear end me a while back. I got out of the car, checked the other driver was okay then asked the couple in the car behind her if they would be witnesses. They said yes. Then just as they made to pull over in front thy sped off. ****s. Obviously had something far more pressing to attend to.