to ask why so many people didn't stop to help?

[willothewisp17]

long story cut short - l was out last night at the threate with my sil and mil, once play had finished we went to wetherspoons, sil got taxi because her feet were sore and me and mil walked.

found a man passed out on the ground (it was cold and raining) made sure he had a pulse and tried to rouse him, he woke up a bit and it was soon discovered he was drunk, his friends had all left him, didn't want an ambulance or the police called because he's known with the police and then passed out again. felt his pockets for a phone to see if we could get someone but he had nothing so we phoned the local police station and they came and helped him up and took him home.

what gets me is in the time when we were phoning the police station (we had moved away from him to do this so he didn't hear and get angry/stressed) so many people walked past him and didn't even bother to stop and see that he was okay! not even a glance! is this normal? I don't think it matters that he was drunk and his own fault he was in that state, he still needed help, we couldn't leave him there in the rain!

What they did find frustrating and sad was that people like him were often ignored, and he wouldn't have been somebody that many people knew. The paramedic said to me just because he had mental health issues didn't mean he also might not have a heart attack or stroke one day, and who'd look out for him then?

Yes. This bothers me. Too many people are quick to look the other way when it comes to people with MH issues and there's no-where near enough support for them.

There's a man who used to come into the shop I worked in with MH issues. He has no support network and is not unwell enough for social services intervention (I have called them on numerous occassions). So many people are rude and dismissive towards him when he asks for help or tries to initiate a conversation with him. Behind his back, they call him names.

I've spent many hours dealing with his Landlord or utility companies for him. He often tells me he's sought help from others before me only to be told to go away

Many years ago as a teenaged student DH was walking home and found a man “passed out” in the street. When he got closer to help the man jumped up, pulled out a knife and mugged him.

In the circumstances you describe nobody needed to stop because you were already dealing with it.

Op you did a good thing!!! So many people turn a blind eye to others it’s very sad. My oh is actually the worlds worst at ignoring stuff and it breaks my heart as it causes arguments all the time he instantly assumes the worst of everyone. That’s tragic about your husbands granddad.

Attitudes like this are the reason why the changes to the disability benefits system are so cruel. So many people don't feel safe to leave the house on their own, and become housebound.

OP - I think you did a good thing. Not sure I'd have checked his pockets though, you never know what someone might be carrying or what they might later accuse you of.

Legocaltrops I was trying to check his pockets in a way so he didn't notice, I just patted to see if anything was there incase he woke up thinking someone was trying to rob him and he got aggressive, don't know why I bothered to be honest though because if I did feel a phone I wouldn't have gone right into his pocket to get it, he only appeared to have a house key in his hand xx

About 15yrs ago me and my friend were walking home from our local nightclub. Saw a bloke lying in the middle of the shopping precinct looking like he was fitting from a distance. We rushed over to help, established that he was just blind drunk and managed to get him up on his feet and moving with us supporting him. It slowly became apparent it was a bloke who I'd had a ONS with a few years before we did the right thing and walked him the remaining 100yrds back to his house (seeing as I had been there before) at which point he remembered who I was, we got his keys out his pocket and left him in his hallway! So embarrassing!

I'm glad we helped though, I couldn't have just walked past. Even on my own I would have called an ambulance and waited from a distance.

if I were on my own and it was night time I definitely wouldn't have stopped. I may have called the police/ an ambulance.

A passer by would not have known he was drunk. Plenty of people have died of neglect, its nothing new.

The police to take him home 🙄 Your very nice for helping but this probably wasn't the first time. What a waste of resources.

I was in this position in a large city, man passed out on the floor but breathing. I walked around 100m ahead and phoned the non-emergency police. No way would I have risked stopping, you hear of all sorts. If he had been in immediate medical need then that would be different.

Just because people didn't stop doesn't mean they necessarily did nothing: my sister passed a collapsed man years ago but was scared to approach him ... she was 18 and ran the half mile home to call the police. She then went back to him with our dad to check that they turned up. He was pissed but otherwise ok.

unless they are wearing a chain or bracelet to let people know they have some form of life threatning illness then I would leave well alone. If covered in blood/obvious signs of being battered and left then a quick call for help is fine. Would not be doing the same for some drunk or drug user. They chose to take whatever got them into that state. You never know who is violent.

Well anyone who saw you taking care of him would have seen, well, you taking care of him. So no need for them to get involved.

I would (and have done) called an ambulance from a safe distant, but I wouldn't approach anyone else either.

In the nicest possible way, I have my own children/family to take care of and they are, and will always be, my priority, both in terms of keeping myself safe and getting home on time so as not to distress them.

I would call an ambulance though.

Years ago I would have waded in and helped. I’m more cautious now (sign of the y
times) but I would still make a call to the emergency services from a safe distance and wait til help arrived. It’s someone’s son or daughter whatever reason they’re in that situation.

I don't think people do stop to help anymore. I fell over when heavily pregnant and pulled my 3 year old with me and not one person came to help and this was in the middle of the day, so I can imagine that at night people wouldn't help someone passed out on the street, could have been a drug addict or a set up.

A family member was in danger in the past in a place where they should have been safe. Several people I considered friends knew and yet did nothing about it and didn't tell me. The thing is that people don't. It's very unusual to go against the herd and if the herd is pretending a problem isn't there then most people will go along with that - even though it might make then feel a little bit uncomfortable.

I found a man passed out outside my block of flats but was very cautious as the area had a problem with heavy drug use and I didn't know if he'd taken something. The guy was much bigger than me, and not on a main road so nobody else to help if he got aggressive. Rather than approaching him I went inside the flat, called the non-emergency police for advice and watched out of the window until I saw on-foot paramedics approaching him and getting him up.

I've also phoned up about a very poorly looking homeless man who seemed to have mental health problems, and reported a homeless young woman with an older man to one of the street charities to send a support worker.

I would never just ignore that and walk past! What is wrong with society? So cold, makes me feel ashamed for these selfish people.

I might walk on and not assist in certain cicrumstances, but once I felt in a safe place I would call for assistance and report it.

Sometimes, that is the best you can do for your own saftey.

a young girl was attacked three times in one night recently. It was all over the papers, If one person who saw her that night did something how different it could had been. we think we all know the outcome, drunk silly person. I am not so sure now.

Personally I wouldn’t help a man passed out in the street because my dad warned me drunk people are dangerous. We had a town drunk who would pass out drunk and then get aggressive / purposefully wee on people if they tried to help.
I’ve been raped and I know that there are men who would take advantage of me in that situation. It’s a shame because yes a very small percentage of men have ruined it for everyone who may need help but it’s the truth. I’m not putting myself at risk.

ESPECIALLY when women are attacked they are blamed and told they should have taken better care of themselves (not been drinking, not been walking by themselves etc). Fair enough, I’ll do that. Then I definitely can’t be raped again

table I am presuming it was a licensed taxi. So what is the issue?
Are women not allowed to get in taxis on their own after a night out? Ridiculous.

I would never just ignore that and walk past! What is wrong with society? So cold, makes me feel ashamed for these selfish people

First up you often have no idea if someone has just walked past and done nothing. Everyone has said they'd at very least call police/ambulance or whatever from a safe distance that's not "doing nothing"

And sadly there is a massive difference between what people would do for a woman who's fallen in the middle of the day in a busy area and what they would do when alone late at night with a man lying on the ground.

Did you not read all the posts about people being attacked. I've been yelled at myself.

Assuming everyone's just stone cold ice kimgs/queens is unnecessary.

Ten years ago I was living in Hackney, pregnant with ds. It was about midday and i was heavily pregnant on the first day of my maternity leave. I saw a group of young boys with bolt cutters cutting through the lock of an expensive looking bike. I shouted at them to stop. One of them came across the road, pushed me against the wall and headbutted me.

When I came to, no bugger had helped me at all. It was the tipping point in my leaving London. Takes all kinds of a shit bag to step over a pregnant bleeding woman who's just tried to stop a theft.