Saturday, June 07, 2008

Horrifying hit-and-run

Horrifying hit-and-run (Video)

Connecticut police release emergency call tapes in hit-and-run case - Yahoo! Canada News

Connecticut police released a video of a terrible hit and run in an effort to show people what they've become.  It's a tough to watch video as an elderly man is hit by a car that veered over to the wrong side of the road and then just kept going after the collision.  But that's not the worst of it.  As the man lays bleeding in the middle of the road, other motorists continue to drive past without stopping and people on the sidewalk don't move to help.  They come out and take a closer look, but no one actually goes to the man to try to help.  911 did get 4 phone calls, but still, it's a sad state of affairs.  The man had no help until a police car pulled up.

In the video, the reporter states it is a rough part of town.  Another man is interviewed and he points out succinctly what the thinking here would be.  The reporter asks him "You could at least call for help, right?" and he responds "You can if you want to, but then you involved."   Exactly.  And thanks to lawsuits, courts, and no rights for victims, that's the first thing that runs across people's minds when something happens.  And it's sad.

When a man is dying in the middle of the road, it should be a "damn the torpedoes, get in there and help!" kind of response.  Instead, we call the cops and go on with our lives and hope we don't have to fill out a report or get named in the lawsuit.  What happened?

It's a minor thing in comparison, but I recently had reason to think about this too.  A little while back my truck died in a rain storm at a busy intersection.  I had a cell phone and had called for assistance, but as I sat there waiting with my hood up, a ton of cars and people passed by without so much as a thought of stopping to help.  I wasn't expecting it either, and I was downright surprised when one elderly man stopped his car behind mine, got out in the rain, and offered to help.  We couldn't get it going as it turned out, and he went on his way with a wish of good luck that my help would arrive soon, but it just reinforced the fact that in today's world the number of people who are willing to get involved keeps dwindling.

If it keeps going this way, what kind of world will we have in the near future?

 
Blogged with the Flock Browser

Comments on "Horrifying hit-and-run"

 

Blogger Pappy said ... (June 08, 2008 7:54 AM) : 

Hi Eaglewing, I just thought I would come by and comment here today. Thanks for coming by my site to read and leave comment. I watched the reactions on the video too. I think people's behavior is so controlled by government anymore, and their reality is so tied up in some made up scenario on television, they no longer know how to act without being told. They live in a world of vicarious participation. Seeing others take responsibility and suffer consequences somehow satisfies their need to participate directly. Few want their pat little lives to be upset by having to actually deal with a messy situation. Only when their lives are directly affected will they understand the need to take action. Much more material on this subject. Maybe something for future posts. Pappy

 

Blogger Pappy said ... (June 09, 2008 6:37 AM) : 

P.S. I finished the "Stranger" serial. I liked it. That could be one of those forever stories.

 

Blogger Lavinia said ... (June 10, 2008 5:27 PM) : 

Very troubling video. Very. Sadly, this is not unusual. There have been many instances where someone needed help desperately, and none was offered. THere was a very famous crime in the 1970's, I believe, a woman was raped outside a tenement and although dozens/hundreds heard, no one did a thing. I think that happened in New York.

 

post a comment