Would you pull over if you saw a child on the ground crying?

[pontipinemum]

Driving home last night I saw a 10yr old child lying on the footpath clearly very upset.

Two cars in front drove on I pulled over. It's a residential area near 3 schools, 30km speed zone so wasn't hard to spot him in lots of time.

His friend was with him (similar age), he was very upset that he has lost his 5 year old sister. I asked where his mother was he said down the town, he didn't know her number. He didn't know his dad's number, but we tried to call his older brother twice. After a few minutes I was starting to think I'd need to call the local police station not 999 or anything. Then a lady came along, he said it was his aunt. She smiled/ nodded when I asked her if she was his aunt. I asked him was he happy if I left, will you and your aunt find your sister? He said yes. So I left - I had my toddler in the back of the car.

Sorry that filler wasn't really needed, but would you stop your car for a child on the ground? Maybe the two in front had gone by and saw I had pulled in so didn't turn back.

Yes I would stop, 99% of the time, unless I felt it was unsafe to do so.

Those stories are a very, very small minority.

I don't want to make you more anxious, but driving your car in the first place is much more likely to result in your death than being attacked by a violent gang who have baited you with a child on a UK residential street.

Yes, I would. I'm always concerned about people @ wanting to help if I can.

as for being 'kidnapped' As they say Fat people are harder to kidnap!!

seriously not worried about that around here at all.

I'd have been worried about it actually being his Aunt.

@SpringSprungALeak I did wonder about that but he seemed to know her and went straight to her. Then answered quickly when I asked was he happy to go with her

I once found a boy in the road on a residential estate on my way to the station. He was a paperboy who had come off of his bike and was dazed and probably had a broken arm. Luckily I had my EXH in the car so I sent him off to knock on the lads front door (luckily it was close) an his dad came running with his Teddy bear and thanked us for looking after him and he would drive him to the urgent care unit. A neighbour then started some rumour I had hit the lad (she saw him laying in the road and my car stopped (so no-one would hit him), luckily my mums best friend lives in the estate an quickly put everyone right. It didnt even occur to me not to stop and help.

Probably not if he was with a friend and not trying to flag anyone down, probably just fell over, guessing he didn't look hurt? don't think it warrants calling the police as suggested especially being next to 3 schools no. Not that I think you was wrong just that I wouldn't have

Yes I would, and I have. Walking my dog, came across extremely distressed child, English clearly not first language. Managed to work out she was with family, visiting other family, they'd gone to the playground and she'd become separated. Ended up taking her home (only round the corner) to get her a drink and use the toilet, police had to be called but her mum did eventually find her with us (we'd knocked on a few doors before coming home)

I’d stop.

I’ve stopped many times for distressed looking animals too.

I would but depending on circumstances I would worry about the trap as well. I’m busybody by nature but trying to restrict it - I still have obviously non British accent and sometimes people react negatively.

I remember being about 11 in the middle of nowhere with 3 of my friends, one of them had fallen and broken their ankle and we didn't know what to do (before mobiles were common and 1.5 miles away from the villages in either direction). A man in a car stopped and drove to a payphone and called an ambulance for my friend, he came back and sat with us until they arrived. I'll always stop if I can!

Unless I’d seen an accident and the child was hurt, then no I wouldn’t stop. I have never understood why people let kids out alone when they are so clearly unsafe and unable to make good decisions. I just wouldn’t get involved. Unless I thought someone was in mortal danger. I have seen a baby in a baby gro crawling on a road. The woman was idiotically stupid - parked illegally, dumped baby out onto floor whilst pissing about with primary aged child’s coat. I just used my car to block any further traffic so that the Anna didn’t get hit. And I know who she was and there are no circumstances that warranted this idiocy.

I think they are just stories though. ☹️

I'm not sure if I would. The last time I intervened was when a group of teenage boys were holding each other upside down and banging their heads on the ground for a laugh, for the slight concussion. I scolded them, lied and told them I was a doctor and that they were causing serious lifelong injury. But if I saw someone crying in the company of someone else and it didn't seem dodgey I might not intervene. I have a friend who cries a lot, she's deeply moved by things - it's always brief. Of course we aren't children, but if it's the crying that got your attention then I'm just saying on its own it's not enough for me to stop. When I was young it was much more common to witness domestic violence and I always intervened and thankfully I never got hurt. but crying and lying on the ground with someone present isn't enough for me to stop.

@StrawberryTwister I wasn't contemplating calling the police because he has fallen, it was because he kept saying he had lost his 5 year old sister.

They didn't flag down a car but the boy standing was looking around and seemed confused/ unsure of what he should do. The boy on the ground was very clearly upset even from the car

Sorry wasn't referring to you, a couple of posters said they would have called the police.

I wouldn't, no. I would assume the child was upset for private reasons, nothing to do with me. I wouldn't go up to a child crying on a street and ask, as a stranger, what was wrong, either.

yes, I would.
I have stopped for an adult that fell off a bike in front of me, a dog running round in the middle of the road, gone along and asked a young woman if she was ok because she was sat on the kerb of the street where I lived late at night,
my brother once found a toddler wandering around a supermarket carpark by herself and took her back into the shop.

Years ago there were several occasions when I was stuck in the middle of nowhere with a broken down car waiting for recovery. A few people always stopped and asked if I was ok and if someone was coming, I appreciated it.

Acts of kindness are what we do every day, not the manufactured nonsense on youtube.

Well done on your duty of care.
Something everyone is meant to have.

No, I'm with the pp, I'd assume it was a private matter but not anything that I could help with. I wouldn't have the time to stop for every crying child that I might pass by.

Yes, of course.
Had to stop on a not very busy road at 11.30- midnight as headlights picked up a reflective jacket on grass verge . It was a man, couldn’t tell if alive/dead/injured. Had to turn around in a gateway and another car with a couple in also stopped , I was alone. I was glad of other people around , who called 999 while I checked if he was dead or not. ( he was alive, semi conscious)

Me too. Many times

Yes I'd help. I once found a child wandering without an adult and called the police - the mother turned up and was annoyed I had - but tough, it was a tiny child all alone in a city and she was bloody lucky it was me and not someone sinister.

What happened to the lost sister though OP? I'd be worrying about that.

You did the right thing. I pulled over a few months ago when I saw a boy had fallen off his bike on way to school. He was fine but im glad i checked.

Bit odd him saying worrying about his lost sister…

Yes. I would. I've never had a situation exactly like this but I've been in enough similar situations to be confident I wouldn't ignore anyone, let alone a kid, in distress.

If you would hope that someone would help your children in distress then I think it's important to not be cowardly when you can help