....to be fed up of many members of the public ignoring emergency situations?

[RebeccaBunchLawyer]

OK, I’m no hero tbh, or angel for that matter. Far from it. I’m actually a bit of a misanthrope and am hiding from my new flat mates as we speak (to avoid having to converse with them)..

But, the amount of times now that I’ve had to step in to help people when out and about now is ridiculous. I’m talking: a few elderly collapses, a few drinkers collapsing at bus stops etc, an elderly man nearly going under a bus etc etc.

I am not a nurse or particularly good at my first aid, and as I said I’m a real mean misanthrope, but I am always the only person to act when the shit hits the fan. Other people tend to stand their staring, gawping in a gormless fashion, doing nothing helpful, not even calling 999.

When the elderly man nearly enough went under the bus, I had to run (and I am a big lady!), scream for the bus to stop, then help the man, all while other people stared, eyes glazed. An army bloke did take over from me in the end (whilst I made the 999 call) as he knew more, but you get the gist.

Today, for example (slightly irrelevant but also not so), there was a road rage incident towards our bus driver. The bloke was effing away and the bus driver called out for one of us to call 999. I was the only person who did this; everyone else just stared or filmed it. Wtaf???!

Is this normal now- to ignore people needing help etc in everyday situations or are people scared to get involved? What if you needed help? I’m genuinely interested.

Some people just don't know what to do.

I’d avoid public transport if I were you OP
Buses in particular
You appear to be the common denominator

I haven’t found this to be the case - i get called to emergency situations and if they are in public there are always people who have stepped up. Obviously someone must have called 999 for me to have got there, but within the last two weeks a life was probably saved by a couple of strangers doing cpr for 10 mins before I arrived. I am always touched by people’s concern.

How would someone have helped the woman in this car?

www.liveleak.com/view?t=kk6Dl_1529418012

It's like people not moving out of the way for emergency vehicles of any description. I'm always amazed and upset thinking you just never know who could be in it, could be someone you know and you held it up.

Some people will freeze in fear and others just don’t know what to do. If you can think clearly and act decisively (and it sounds like you can) then you can take control and give people instructions.

I once found an unconscious person and someone else was there, I’d had first aid training and though I was panicking I started thinking out loud, “ok, they’re breathing. We need to call an ambulance now” and the other person was visibly heartened because I sounded like I was taking charge and knew what I was doing.

There’s research that shows if there are more than a critical number of people around, everyone assumes someone else will act to help. If there are fewer, they’ll help out.

I wouldn't want to be sued. Sorry my home insurance wouldn't cover it.
Ring 999 and leave them to it.

This explains the bystander effect nicely...

www.verywellmind.com/the-bystander-effect-2795899

I read somewhere, can't remember where though, that in an emergency people think other people will step in. So everyone can end up doing nothing. The solution in the article was to specify people eg: you in the red coat ring 999, help me do a/b/c.

Is your name Medusa?

Very odd - can't say I have ever experienced this. I have witnessed a few examples and someone else - often more than one person - always stepped in and helped.

In all of my 40-odd years, I've never encountered any kind of emergency.

Or maybe I'm walking around with my head in the clouds.

I do this. It drives me nuts people looking at each other and shrugging like 'well what can we do?' Errrr call 999!!! I just seem to go into emergency problem solving mode.

I'm only 32 and the amount of emergencies that have occurred near me is ridiculous I wish phosphorus I could say nothing has ever happened. I wonder if like the Op I seemly attract it.

You do seem to be a bit of a danger magnet, op!

I guess it varies. When I broke down a few years ago, I had people stop to help, and when my sister collapsed people stopped to help. A friend who worked as a first responder (paramedic) tells plenty of stories of passers-by stepping up.

I can totally imagine people walking by or just gawping, though. I think a pp who mentioned people not knowing what to do is probably often true - and makes a good case for compulsory first aid lessons: in schools, maybe a requirement for driving license?

There has been research that suggests the more witnesses, the less likely that any given person is to help.

But if one person helps, they are likely to come to help too.

People just assume someone else will do it - which is lazy.

I was heavily pregnant on the train and no sod would stand up for this elderly lady so I just did it. She was very grateful - then some guy offered me his seat - so why didn't he offer it to Agnes? Mind boggles.

This has happened to me twice, the more memorable time was in fact in a bus. A lady started having a massive seizure and nobody did anything. I was 16, the youngest passenger on the bus and I ended up being the one to convince the driver he needed to stop and the one who spoke to the 999 call handler. I remember being so shocked that none of the adults in board were prepared to step up.

You appear to be the common denominator
Just what I was thinking. That's a lot of incidents you've witnessed. Like Miss Marple - wherever she goes, there's a murder. Maybe you should stay at home OP

Oops sorry Purple :)

marmablade same!!
I think I am crazy calm in a crisis - to calm almost - I don't get people flapping and panicking.

I find the opposite actually, the few times I have been involved in an incident there have always been many hands and have turned people away/been turned away from helping as there were enough already.

I HAVE noticed that if you seem to know what you are doing people step back a bit.

I am in Australia, though experienced the same thing in London.

Sued??!!!!! You WILL NOT GET SUED FOR DOING FIRST AID!!

Old wives tale

(First aid trainer)

You better hope you or a family member doesn't collapse in a street and everyone takes that attitude.

Yeah we'll watch you die instead....

Ffs

Maybe some people are more magnetic than others! I've called the emergency services for an epileptic cyclist crash, a robbery in progress, a car crash with passengers thrown from the vehicle, a suspected heart attack, a shattered ankle at an amateur football match, a diabetic hypo, and two different DV incidents I've witnessed. Trouble clearly follows me around! Definitely agree that first aid classes should be compulsory in school.