Last week driveing home from Tesco at about 20.00 hrs,and its raining heavy, at the side of the road is what looked like a carpet or old sack,as i passed, it moved a bit, so stopped and reversed back, it was a girl about 27 and with a cut hand, blood from a seriously cut mouth and lips, and a large cut on her leg, she was obviously on something as her speech was slured,so parked in front of her, to stop her getting run over, and phoned an ambulance, loads of cars passed,one even shouted id parked badly, a old lady even almost fell over her, were talking a wide lit street, here.
Would you have helped, or even phoned an ambulance.
Discuss.

seriously cut mouth and lips

she was obviously on something as her speech was slured

Is it only me that makes the connection there?

She seemed spaced out,

Of course I’d stop.

She seemed spaced out,

Diabetic? Epileptic? Fainted?

Concussed?

But regardless, you did the right thing by stopping

I’d have run her over then got claims direct to sue her for damages to the bodywork.

Of course. I have done a few times and even carry gloves now since I got covered in a strangers blood. Its sort of beholden on me to do so as a trained nurse tho.

depends how convinced i was that it was a person or a carpet.

On a more serious note, last time I stoped for someone in trouble at the side of the road I was threatened with violence, so in future I’d have to be very sure they were either nice/sober or so close to deaths door theyr incapable of violence.

You did the right thing.

Well done sir.

I hope I have the courage to do the same in similar circumstances.

This is not a spoon – if they are well enough to threaten violence they don’t need your help.

Yup without a doubt i’d help, but a level of caution needs to be taken.

Yep, i’d have stopped. A well known smackhead in our area collapsed in front of our house. We phoned an ambulance and I went out to help her. When she heard we’d phoned an ambulance she got aggressive, tried to attack me and then staggered off. Paramedic turned up about 5 minutes later so we sent him off in the direction she staggered.

Same when we were driving through Birkenhead. We saw a girl collapse, people carried on walking past her. We went to help and she started effing and blinding at us from the floor. We tried for a little bit to calm her down but she didn’t want any help, left her to it.

I’d still stop again though.

Why 27 rather than late-twenties?
Which was it you pulled her out of, a sack or a carpet?
Didn’t the fuzz attend?
Why is your name “Project” and occupation “Researcher”?
Would I stop?

and Tesco have confirmed it didn’t rain at all last week after 20:00

well done , always remeber personal safety though.

You did the right thing. You’d like to think if something happened to you you would help.

I was telling someone last week of my ‘why i left the UK’ incident which i will repeat here and its only as an example.
I lived in Buckhurt Hill and travelled into Holborn for work every day. For a while i’d been fed up with living in London and a few other things and was a bit ractious anyway. Anyhoo, got on the train one morning, sat down, reading my book or a copy of Singletrack ;-). Train fills up as usual, getting in towards town the woman standing righ in front of me keels over. Cue tutting (!) and noone even bats an eyelid. I jumped up and could see she was _very_ pregnant. Very faint pulse and clearly not that well really. I’ve got decent first aid trinaing as I used to be a ski patroller so started to get her comfortable and make sure she was breathing ok etc. Seriously, everyone was either whingeing , someone stole my f ucking book and someone else took my seat in this time ! Not one other person even vaguely offered to help. I decided that in order to get her off the train and get her some medical help i’d oull the chain so i did ! And **** me, i was almost lynched, some stupid bint smacked me on the head and screamed in my face that she would be late for work etc. Bear in mind the woman on the floor had gone a very faint colour of blue at this point ! Honestly, it was incredible. We were in a station when i pulled the chain, paramedics arrived and we got her off the train eventuially , nonone else would lift their finger. this whole time there was a constant stream of moaning and swearing and general angst about how much of an inconvenience it all was. Anyway, long story long, we got her sorted and carted off to hospital. I turned round and went home, rang my boss, resigned effective immediately, worked from home for a week and moved permanently to NZ 3 weeks later. I’m sure the same thing could happen here except theres no tube service ! It just stunned me that people could be so fckng self centred.

Shit, NZCol; that’s bad. I’ve never encountered anything quite like that, but some people can be selfish/unable to deal with a situation.

The most recent time I stopped to help someone, a bloke was slumped over on his front, at a bus-stop. Early in the day. Called ambulance etc, he’s complaining of chest pains, and saying he had a heart condition. Ambulance comes, they knew him by name. Turns out he’s a well-known piss-head, and is often being carted off to hospital having keeled over. The ‘heart condition’ was a lie.

I was a bit annoyed but felt I’d done the right thing.

Always stop and help someone. Because, one day, that could be you. And you’d want someone to help you. Karma, and all that.

NZCol- Well done, mate!

I could fill this post forever with similar examples of aid given when all else ignored what was happening!

I despair sometimes at other people’s attitudes.

Apologies for the crap speeling (sic) i was getting annoyed writing it down and it was 10 years ago now !
On the other hand i was behidn a car that flipped into a field here about 7 years ago on my way home from a kayak trip late at night. Was a bit surreal seeing it happen. I managed to dump my car with the hazards on and helped the two occupants out the car. I had a full first aid kit int he car and some sheets and blankets and stuff so get them all sorted with help from another passing car, they had some superficial injuries but were fooking lucky. A month later the dude turned up at my door one night with 2 dozen beers and a couple of bottles of wine to say thanks – i have no idea how he fuond me but good on him, i was quite tuoched by that. I still see him occasionally in town and we have a quick yack. Last time he introduced me to his new grand daughter “as the guy that saved his life”. A touch dramatic but nice nontheless.

After 9 years of travelling to Liverpool on trains off and on I’ve been numbed to such things – people regularly wasted, stoned to the point of keeling over, violent, losing control of bodily functions and seemingly either not caring or thinking you’re in the wrong for trying to help.

I think most people would do the same as the OP, but only within reason.

Mrs Ambrose once gave CPR to a guy who keeled over in a local park- he didn’t make it despite her best efforts. And another time she gave some serious assistance to the ‘troubled’ drunk smackhead on Swansea High Street. She did make it, BIG feeling of YESSS! Saved a life. But the rest of the world just walked past in both situations. People don’t wan’t to get involved.

I saved my son’s life when he was small, he choked on a sweet. It was in Swansea city centre- needless to say everybody walked on past, studiously ignoring the situation of a desperate man and a blue child. I’ve been a First Aider for decades now and that day I did what I shouldn’t have done- an abdominal thrust on a very small child, having exhausted all the other options. Robert goes to university next year. It almost didn’t happen though.

I’ve dealt with drunks, smack-heads, beaten up victims covered in all sorts of fluids, diabetics, horrific road accidents… it is what you do, it is part of being a decent person. Don’t turn your back. Don’t turn away and hope that someone else will deal with it or that maybe it isn’t worth it.

And for those of you who turn away, SHAME.

Absolutely – phone the police/ambulance.

Regardless of the circumstances, this was still a human being. Understand the possibility of some kind of set up, but decency takes precedence. With caution in mind you did the right thing. Far too many people willing to ignore stuff like this…

Yes i’d definatley stop well done that man .

Nzcol thats the exact reason i would never move to London this sort of thing makes me so mad, someones health less important than getting to work on time these people are so self centered i hope one day that it is them in trouble and lets see how their priorities change.

Good on everyone who has helped – I’ve not had the situation arise yet. Closest I’ve had is pulling someone from in front of a car, and at least they were grateful.
I think I would stop, but not knowing first aid I think I would be pretty useless, time to learn (with two kids now).
NZCol – that would have got me out of the UK too if I were still there. I think now I would tear a strip off the other occupants – I can be pretty blunt when I want to be!

Hope when I keel over some singltrackians are on the same train/plane/bikeride.

I stopped to help a man on the canal bank in Glasgow. Very badly beaten up. Smelled of drink but it was a Saturday morning in Glasgow so who doesn’t. He was quite aggressive but I thought that he’d had quite a serious head trauma which could explain that. I was with my wife and was worried by the man’s aggresion so phoned the police who said, and I quote, “what do you want us to do about it?” Erm… I suggested they could try to take him to hospital since I was worried about waiting due to his behaviour but that he was obviously very badly beaten up and in need of fairly urgent medical attention. They told me to either call an ambulance and wait with him (which I did) or leave him and, again I quote, “get on with my day”.

NZCOL…..

I’m speechless mate…. speechless!

yeh I’d have stopped. A couple of years ago I nipped down to our local tesco, walking towards the entrance I could see a man and woman arguing, as I got nearer he started punching and kicking her. Now this was a Saturday evening and right at the store entrance so loads of people walking passed, in the time it took me to get to them not one person intervened – they just walked passed with their heads down. When I got their I stopped him hitting her, still no one helped, it was only when I’d managed to get him to go away that a few people shouted ‘that’s a disgrace, etc’. No you’re just as much of a **** disgrace for ignoring that situation.

We just can’t let things like that happen to people. The way people behave towards others really shocks me – do people on the whole not have any compassion for others.

Well done Project; Ambrose, I did my emergency first aid last week, they are now teaching abdominal thrusts as being a valid last resort!

NZ col – may I suggest that is London but not indicative of the rest of the UK?

The few times I have helped people in Manchester and in Edinburgh there were loads of people helping out.

Me and a mates missus did m2m/cpr on this old codger at the Hardy Monument car park.

Not good, old woman asked us to help her husband to the car as he was feeling a bit unwell, so we did then a couple of minutes later she asked for help again, he was actually turning blue.

We started cpr and our mates called ambulance, asked around etc, amazingly, in a small car park the woman running the snack bar wagon was an ex senior nurse, she left the snack bar to help, so some bloke in the snack bar queue then manned the snack bar, 2 passers by were nurses and they came and took over, and once nurse 1 was in charge of the phones some other bloke moved all the cars so they could get the helicopter down in the car park.

I have stopped but so far not had to do anything as they have all been under control but each time it has been commented that i was the first to stop.
NZcol i am not that suprised as last year they had to close the M27 for a few hours due to a nasty accident and loads of people all complained that they were late for work here in the hospital!

I think that a lot of people lack the knowledge and confidence to intervene. In my experience when one intervenes more will follow.

My wife did CPR on a guy that collapsed in a corner shop (he didn’t make it) and the women behind her in the queue, a serving nurse, refused to get involved “cos I’m not at work”

I am doing a 2 day paediatric first aid course in a couple of weeks time, hopefully never have to use it but would not be able to walk past someone like Ambrose and his lad without helping!

i’m going to do a first aid course.

the GF is currently doing here diploma, designing a first aid learning system for kids, for the red cross.

no excuse really.

well done people.

Definately did the right thing, a few years back someone fell into the road on an unlit national speed limit road where I used to live. They would have been pretty hard to see, and got hit by a car. The car didnt stop and the person then got hit by a second car. Im pretty sure they didnt make it, but makes you wonder if anyone had noticed them before the inevitable happened.

Everybody gets to look in a mirror most mornings. Personally I’d prefer to like what I see….. well apart from the grey hair….. and the bags under the eyes…..oh and the hang dog expression….

Anyway, can’t see how its possible to do that when you are self evidently a selfish twunt. So yep I stop every time.

I am currently looking for a piece of old carpet or sacking to cover my compost bin, so I would stop if I spotted such a thing, as long as I was on my cargo bike. I think once you’ve established that what you thought was old carpet is in fact an injured woman then not hanging around would be pretty rude.

I was telling someone last week of my ‘why i left the UK’ incident which i will repeat here and its only as an example.

That’s awful! 🙁

Friend of mine once had a bad cycling accident JRA (his fork stanchions fell out of the crown), and he hit the deck hard. He broke his neck, badly cut his face and neck on flint (missed jugular by millimetres), think he broke his shoulder/collarbone too.

This happened just outside a church and also popular dog walking spot on a sunny Sunday morning with lots of people about. I found him by pure chance as I don’t usually go that way. Apparently a fair amount of people had walked right past him, not one of the sods offered to help or called an ambulance 🙁

I don’t know how anybody could leave somebody laying there covered in blood.

Sadly there are lots of people that dont want to get involved, or think somebody else will bother, aand thats not right,because one day it may be one of us that needs help.

Funny been doing my job for many years now and in public places there’s always some stopped to help, yes in pubs the drunks act a bit stupid but their drunks, sounds like to me like NZcol is only remember the bad points. Almost like he’s in denial.

When i last did the cpr course, with resusi annie the doll , the chap said lift the neck, and tilt the head back, i used a bit to much force and the head came off, so beware, thankfully never had to do it in real life.

Last years merida at Ruthin , walked a chap down the course with a broken wrist, the wrong way down the course, the number of cyclists that asked if everything was ok, was really good to hear.

Came off my road bike on a patch of ice on a sharp downhill left-hand bend. While I lay stunned in the road, maybe a dozen cars drove carefully round me and my bike.

When I dragged myself off the tarmac and onto the pavement, several pedestrians carefully stepped over me and went about their business.

People of Carnforth, thanks for absolutely nothing!