Hit-and-run victim left helpless in the street

[roadkill]

"However, Roberts and other city officials backtracked on Thursday. After initially saying he was unsure whether anyone called 911, he and other city officials appeared at a news conference in which they said that four people dialed 911 within a minute of the accident, and that Torres received medical attention shortly after that."

I'm not sure why people are ignoring this.

[honeydont]

What would Jesus do??????? And no jokes about it either!!!!! WHAT WOULD JESUS DO???? Are there any heroes left???? Any regular good folks that could at least call 911??????? Any spineless ****s who dont want to get involved left???? OH YEAH AMERICA IS FULL OF THEM!!!!!! Weve become what the other side said we always were all along. Look in the mirror America-Its an ugly reflection. The Truth is out there-Just watch the video.

[cjcdaman]

I saw this today and I thought ..........WOW.......no one cares.

During the summer of 2006, I was driving along a country road, and I came on a black man lying in the ditch. I turned my car around and called 911. It was like 100 degrees that day, and I thought he might have had a heat stroke.

When I told 911 I had stopped, she asked me if I was alone. I said yes. She said.....DO NOT GET OUT OF THE CAR. I am like.........huh? I have water in my car. She said......DO NOT GET OUT OF YOUR CAR UNTIL ANOTHER CAR OR THE SHERIFF GETS THERE. So I had to watch that man lie there.

Other cars stopped, and I got out and gave the man water. He didnt seem too ill. I asked the deputy about the warning and he stated that this man might have been "playing" to get someone....especially a lone female.....to stop so he could rob them, car jack them, or worse.

They just didnt know what a hand full I can be, did they.

;)

Ummm, they were protecting you. I know waiting 2-3 minutes tops for a sheriff to get there must have been difficult. Maybe this has happened in the past. I'm not sure . . . but I'll bet if they said nothing to you and he did attack you, you would be screaming that you were not informed of any danger.

[Special K]

If he'd have properly used the crosswalk and crossing signals, HIS HEALTH WOULD NOT BE IN JEOPARDY.

If this guy decided to shave his scrotum with a chainsaw even though there may be a warning sign in the instructions that says DO NOT USE TO SHAVE SCROTUM, cuts himself and dies, people would be calling for the Darwin Award.

Wow, you are equating a guy who didn't use the crosswalk with shaving a scrotum with a chainsaw. I realize you were trying to make some semblance of an analogy, but that was not even close

So basically, you are blaming the pedestrian here. Yes, people OBVIOUSLY should use a crosswalk, but I'm sure there's a lot of us here who haven't on one occasion or another (including yourself, likely). However, in no way does that mean anyone should get hit. EVER. I think that's what a poster meant when he said your statement was ignorant...and I very much agree.

Additionally, if you read the story and watch the video, it says the two cars were racing each other or screwing around and crossed the double line and hit this guy. I highly doubt the crosswalk would have helped the pedestrian in this instance...or all the other incidents nationwide of people getting hit in crosswalks.

Wow, that's real? I thought that was just a joke for 'Seinfeld' In reading it over, that would indeed seem to cover it.

Well duh Bang, Seinfeld is always right on the money...I mean, who the heck doesn't eat their Snickers with a knife and fork? :laugh:

I saw this today and I thought ..........WOW.......no one cares.

Yeah, that's about what I thought. My roommates and I were watching the story and looking at each other wide-eyed in disbelief. Granted, we are all in the health field in some capacity and are inclined to take initiative in most situations, so our reactions might have been a bit different than a lay person, but still...this was pretty piss poor bystander reaction IMO, regardless of what the psychologists say about "bystander apathy" or whatever.

EDIT: After much ribbing from Slacky, I've changed my cutting an M&M to Snickers. I realize the Snicker bar was what was cut, but I SWEAR there were M&M's somewhere in the episode!

[Special K]

However, Roberts and other city officials backtracked on Thursday. After initially saying he was unsure whether anyone called 911, he and other city officials appeared at a news conference in which they said that four people dialed 911 within a minute of the accident, and that Torres received medical attention shortly after that'

I'm not sure why people are ignoring this.

I'm glad to hear people actually did call 911. I think what outrages some people, including myself, is the physical non-reaction of bystanders: no stopping traffic, no running out there to try to help the guy, and cars slowly driving by or turning around instead of stopping and getting out.

[Blondie]

Ummm, they were protecting you. I know waiting 2-3 minutes tops for a sheriff to get there must have been difficult. Maybe this has happened in the past. I'm not sure . . . but I'll bet if they said nothing to you and he did attack you, you would be screaming that you were not informed of any danger.

Ummmmmmmmm.......ya think?

I live in the country. It took 25 mintues to get there.

And I do realize they were trying to protect me.

Just didn't understand why I couldnt get out of my car.

[cjcdaman]

Just didn't understand why I couldnt get out of my car.

Great thing about this country. You could!!! You chose to listen to 911 who told you to not approach the individual. And now you've turned it into a "why the government is so ridiculous to not understand a guy is in trouble on the highway" problem.

[SC3]

Sounds like an overreaction in the media.

From what I remember, the first thing you do when someone is injured badly is to call 911 and not to move the injured person if the person is not in immediate danger.

As it was explained to me by a person in a legal field. There is a legal liability if you try to apply aid if you're not qualified to provide medical care and the injured person's condition is made worse (for example, improperly performing CPR). There are some Good Samaritan laws that do protect bystanders if something does go wrong. There is a reason some people are wary of providing aid to someone badly injured.

I'm more concerned about those two cars that sped off.

[Bang]

What would Jesus do??????? And no jokes about it either!!!!! WHAT WOULD JESUS DO???? Are there any heroes left???? Any regular good folks that could at least call 911??????? Any spineless ****s who dont want to get involved left???? OH YEAH AMERICA IS FULL OF THEM!!!!!! Weve become what the other side said we always were all along. Look in the mirror America-Its an ugly reflection. The Truth is out there-Just watch the video.

Jesus would see the car and say

HOLY CRAP WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?????

Isn't it nice to generalize and insult an entire country of people based on one video?

Wonder what your boy Jesus would think about that.

Here, Mr. Pulpit, let me help you.

This was the ninth post into the thread.

"However, Roberts and other city officials backtracked on Thursday. After initially saying he was unsure whether anyone called 911, he and other city officials appeared at a news conference in which they said that four people dialed 911 within a minute of the accident, and that Torres received medical attention shortly after that."

I wonder if Jesus would advocate reading just the first half of the first page the thread before blasting away. Something tells me he probably would.

One thing is for sure, we have no shortage of holier-than-thou blowhards.

~Bang

[Skins24]

Glad to hear people really did call 911....

Those blaming the victim...please. The cars crossed the double line, failed to yield to a pedestrian (jaywalking or not), and hit and run.

[DarrellsMyHero28]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nraElqIN5g

Nuff said.

[Redskins Diehard]

IGNORANT eh? Let me fix it.

He shouldn't ever use crosswalks and crossing signals, there is no way that anyone would hit him, ever.

Is that unignorant enough for you :jerk: ?

No, still pretty ignorant.

[boozeman3]

Sounds like an overreaction in the media.

From what I remember, the first thing you do when someone is injured badly is to call 911 and not to move the injured person if the person is not in immediate danger.

As it was explained to me by a person in a legal field. There is a legal liability if you try to apply aid if you're not qualified to provide medical care and the injured person's condition is made worse (for example, improperly performing CPR). There are some Good Samaritan laws that do protect bystanders if something does go wrong. There is a reason some people are wary of providing aid to someone badly injured.

I'm more concerned about those two cars that sped off.

I doubt most of these yahoos watching were worried about legal consequences.

It was human nature at work. The bystander effect is pretty profound.

I realize some like to romanticize human behavior, but sadly, reality is nothing like the movies.

[dreamingwolf]

that guy wasnt jay walking, he was walking down the middle of the street. When do we condem stupid for being stupid? I feel bad for the hit and run person here, the lead car dodged him to expose an idoit in the middle of the road that the follow car couldnt avoid.

They hit him and paniced and ran, and now they are the bad guy. I think the guy who got hit was at fault here, and he should bear the brunt of fault.

[Special K]

that guy wasnt jay walking, he was walking down the middle of the street. When do we condem stupid for being stupid? I feel bad for the hit and run person here, the lead car dodged him to expose an idoit in the middle of the road that the follow car couldnt avoid.

They hit him and paniced and ran, and now they are the bad guy. I think the guy who got hit was at fault here, and he should bear the brunt of fault.

Regardless of whether or not someone is in the middle of the street, you hit someone you stop. I'm astounded that you find "panic" to be an acceptable excuse to hit the accelerator and run from a tragedy.

[Blondie]

Great thing about this country. You could!!! You chose to listen to 911 who told you to not approach the individual. And now you've turned it into a "why the government is so ridiculous to not understand a guy is in trouble on the highway" problem.

HUH??

You got that from what I said?

I was saying that I wanted to help but sat in my car. If someone driving by had seen me in MY car NOT helping, they might think the same as we were thinking about the people around that man.

How you got the government in there makes no sense at all.

Maybe you need to put your shirt back on. The sun is getting to you. :laugh:

[#98QBKiller]

Maybe you need to put your shirt back on. The sun is getting to you. :laugh:

:laugh: I didn't read what he posted or what you posted before that but I'm guessing that this is probably the best response you could've given to CJ.

It is hot as hell down here this week though CJ

[Mark The Homer]

Also, if you render aid and the guy dies, you're liable for a lawsuit. No good deed ever goes unpunished.

~Bang

Quick story:

I'm at Maryland, it's finals week, first semester, and most of us are done. We're waiting in line to get into the Rendezvous Bar and Grill on Rt 1 after dark. Suddenly we hear:

THA-THUMP!

We turn our heads towards the sound and there's a guy laying face down in the road across the street in front of Suburban Trust Bank while a car went streaking south. Car didn't stop.

We all ran across the street, I was the first one there. He was laying spread eagle, straddling the curb. From the sound, I think he got hit, flipped up in the air, and landed. He was a student's age, and I think he was drunk because he didn't have a coat although it was bitterly cold. Just a flannel shirt and jeans.

I start to take his wrist and check his pulse, and somebody yells "DON'T TOUCH HIM!" There was a quick discussion amongst the crowd that I/we could get sued if we touch him. He could have a broken neck or back, and moving him incorrectly could kill him. It was a very emotional moment.

I said "We have to at least see if he has a pulse." and I checked it. It was strong. And he was breathing, but unconscious.

Somebody called 911 from a pay phone as a crowd gathers.

After a couple minutes, a woman claiming to be a nurse also checked his pulse. It was still okay.

Ambulance and police arrive. They start loading him into the ambulance. Somebody in the crowd asked if anybody got the license tag.

After a few minutes, the guy that had asked about the license tag turned himself into police. He had circled around, and parked in the lot behind the bank. He was the driver, and was apparently trying to decide whether to admit to the accident.

I heard the victim died in the hospital a few days later.

Point is, the problem may be that people are so afraid of lawsuits these days, that it keeps them from doing what might be necessary to save a life.

[McMetal]

I love how everyone is mad at the bystanders, but nooone wants to lay blame where it actually belongs - with the driver.

It's like that asinine Seinfeld where they get convicted under the Good Samaritan law, while the actual perpetrator of the crime gets off scott free.

Focus on the person responsible, not the witnesses.

[Bang]

I love how everyone is mad at the bystanders, but nooone wants to lay blame where it actually belongs - with the driver.

It's like that asinine Seinfeld where they get convicted under the Good Samaritan law, while the actual perpetrator of the crime gets off scott free.

Focus on the person responsible, not the witnesses.

Well, I think everyone agrees the driver is a scumbag. I think the crux of the post was the reaction (or the appearance of a lack thereof) of the bystanders. I know a few folks have said the guy should be in the crosswalk, but I doubt anyone absolves the driver's actions as a result of his jaywalking.

~Bang

[McMetal]

The point about not moving because of medical reasons is really valid too, as is the consideration of legal action for getting involved. Sad, but true.

I do wonder if people would have been more inclined to help if it had been a little kid out there. Probably...

[endzone_dave]

You obviously want to call 911 and then block traffic so he doesn't get hit again but I think medically you WOULDN'T want to touch the guy. If the guy has some kind of spinal injury and you start moving him around, you could do some serious damage to him. You should let the medical professionals help him.

[Destino]

I agree with keeastman and others. You have to stop and help. For all you know the guy could be dying and you could at least hold the mans hand and let him know you're there so he doesn't pass away alone on the street.

[dcnativenerd]

Alright, well...the man was obviously in the wrong for walking where he was; but at the same time, you've got to help out people who are in need, especially people at his age. There's no excuse to just stand by and watch an elderly man in pain in the street.

[Destino]

Alright, well...the man was obviously in the wrong for walking where he was; but at the same time, you've got to help out people who are in need, especially people at his age. There's no excuse to just stand by and watch an elderly man in pain in the street.

Sure he was in the wrong... but am I the only that noticed he was hit by cars on the WRONG SIDE OF THE ROAD?