Previous post
This is just sickening:
A 78-year-old man is tossed like a rag doll by a hit-and-run driver and lies motionless on a busy city street as car after car goes by. Pedestrians gawk but appear to do nothing. One driver stops briefly but then pulls back into traffic. A man on a scooter slowly circles the victim before zipping away.
The chilling scene _ captured on video by a streetlight surveillance camera _ has touched off a round of soul-searching in Hartford, with the capital city’s biggest newspaper blaring “SO INHUMANE” on the front page and the police chief lamenting: “We no longer have a moral compass.”
“We have no regard for each other,” said Chief Daryl Roberts, who on Wednesday released the video in hopes of making an arrest in the accident that left Angel Arce Torres in critical condition.
…
In the video, Torres, a retired fork-lift operator, walks in the two-way street just blocks from the state Capitol after buying milk at a grocery. A tan Toyota and a dark Honda that is apparently chasing it veer across the center line, and Torres is struck by the Honda. Both cars then dart down a side street.
Nine cars pass Torres as a few people stare from the sidewalk. Some approach Torres, but most stay put until a police cruiser responding to an unrelated call arrives on the scene after about a minute and a half.
What in the hell is wrong with those people?! Seriously — watching the video you see no cars stopping, no people trying to help him out — although plenty of people seem interested enough to stop and peer at him from the sidewalk. There seems to be a good bit of curiosity, but no one seems to think that maybe, just maybe, they should stop and help the guy out.
Also, what is the deal with the two cars? The first one clips him, and the second one nails him. They don’t so much as hesitate for a second, and then speed down an alley. Seems a little suspicious to me.
Anyways, there is NO excuse for such callous and despicable behavior. NONE. How is it that not one single person found it necessary to try to go and help the man? Instead, it’s peer at him from the sidewalk. Take pictures with your cell phone. Circle around him with your motorcycle and stare. Self-absorbed assholes, each and every one.
Let me do a quick contrast here. When my brother was in the car accident that ultimately killed him, his body was flung over the windshield of the over car, where he ended up lying sprawled across the intersection of Blanding Blvd and 218, a very busy road. What happened? Well, an off-duty paramedic was behind him, coming home from fishing. He was towing a boat behind his truck and saw the entire accident. He immediately swung around and blocked traffic with his truck and trailer, and no less than nine people called the police and reported what happened. They all testified to the police as well.
See a difference?
What would’ve happened to my brother had his accident taken place in Hartford? He probably would’ve been run over again because no one would’ve cared to take a second out of their self-absorbed lives to help someone else out. And as officials have said this is just the latest in a string of incidents showing the “callous” attitude permeating Hartford, I’d say there’s something very wrong with that city.
When it comes down to it, though, there is no excuse for this. None whatsoever.
Hat Tips: Hot Air and Rachel Lucas
Matthew says: This reminds me of the infamous Milgram experiment. Perhaps the ‘authority figure’ was the crowd itself? That doesn’t really fit with the jerkwad scooterist (sp?), though. My condolences for your brother and that poor man, at any rate. May they both rest in peace.
Connecticut is a lawyer happy state. People could rightly be afraid of being sued if they helped and some damage arose from that help.
I know, it’s a stupid and callous attitude.
And “Self-absorbed assholes” certainly describes a lot of people I knew growing up in CT.
Joe says: I actually disagree with the basic premise that this is horrific. Besides the misreporting of the event–several people did call 411.
One of the worse things an average person can do to an accident victim is help. Odds are they will cause more problems than not. Having a mob of people trying to help is almost as bad. Having untrained people enter a roadway is so dangerous that the police repeatedly ask people not to do it; now suddenly people are condemned for not doing so?
This is all mostly self-righteous hand wringing.
jack says: Looks like people were on their phones, and it looks like the cop got there quick–what more could you want?
Not Joe says: Why would people call 411? Were they calling information to get the number for 911?
There are multiple things that could have and should have been done. Even if you don’t any training to actually help the guy, you could make an effort to stop traffic. You don’t need any special training to check on the guy. And seriously, every Red Cross offers basic first aid training.
Thomas Jackson says: Our nation has been reduced to a nation of Joes. Constructive help and compassion in an emergency is writiting to the NY Times while someone lies bleeding in front of you. But remember the average man cannot help, just follow Joe’s example and gawk. This is why I hate big cities, they are filled with Joes.
I posted on this elsewhere, and I’ll say it again. Cold as it sounds, it was self preservation. Courtesy of things like, oh say John Edwards, (you know, ambulance chasers) anything you are ever LIKELY to own will go directly to the person or family of the victim. If YOU help, YOU’RE screwed. And the media has spent countless hours hammering that point home. Lawyers have hardened the hearts of most. You must also remember this was yankeeland, where the ambulance chasers so often prevail. I agree very strongly, the frakking LEAST they could have done was divert traffic!
Jon says: In the defense of the onlookers, most likely none of them knew any first aid or knew how to help in a medical sense. The man is currently paralyzed, and if someone who didn’t know what they were doing had tried to move him, they could have made things worse. It appears that one or more of them did call 911. The only other thing they could have done was block traffic.
It does however speak badly of the drivers of the cars on the street, as none of them stopped and he remain exposed to further injury.
Ray says: Its the Obama affect. In a leftest society individuals don’t provide help, only the government. If you help and he dies or is permanently damaged, a leftest lawyer will convince someone to sue you or a leftest prosecutor will put you in jail because you should have waited for authorities.
If you don’t like it, don’t vote for idiot democrats who encourage this behavior.
Rickvid in Seattle says: I call bullshit on some of you wankers.
Some years ago I was stopped at a light on a very busy 6 lane artery here in Seattle. An older lady shuffled across the street, and I knew she was not going to make it by the time the light changed. She crossed directly in front of my car, from left to right, and as she walked on from the right side I heard an incredibly LOUD screeching sound. She sort of hunkered down and just as I turned to look to the right a pickup truck, almost at a stop but not quite, hit her. She was tossed only about 15 feet, which is a lot, and was out on the ground. As I put my car into gear and put on the flashers, the driver of the van, in obvious despair and torment, jumped out and ran to the woman. Many passersby did the same. Someone brought a blanket and laid it over her as another person checked her vital signs. The driver was wailing in tears as a fellow comforted him; it was certainly not his fault as the light for him was green and the lady just walked out in front of him. Another person stroked the woman’s forehead and just talked to her telling her she would be okay and the help was coming. I doubt she heard it, but it was the best thing to do.
Some of us stood out in the road moving traffic around the scene. The fire department arrived quickly. The person who was checking her, turns out, was a nurse who gave the info to the EMTs. The lady was in bad shape. The police arrived and took over traffic control. We civilians just sort of looked at each other, waved, hopped into our cars and drove off or went on about our business. Never did find out what happened to the lady; the hospital would not give out the information. I knew only that her name was Esmerelda.
Helping is a choice. Standing around with one thumb up your ass and the other in your mouth playing switch is, too.
Marc says: Ray, comment #10, you are absolutely right! And your solution is absolutely right.
12 Comments