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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

People taking photos of someone seriously injured

117 replies

holly873 · 20/04/2019 21:26

I was at the beach today. At one point a coastguard helicopter landed behind the seawall for what was an obvious emergency incident. I later found out on the news that a woman slipped on the rocks and banged her head. Anyway whilst the emergency services were on the scene there must have been around 200 people looking over the seawall gawping and taking photos until the helicopter left. I was disgusted at the lack of respect people were showing someone who was obviously seriously injured. What is wrong with these people? I'm sure they wouldn't like a huge crowd doing this if they or their loved one was injured.

OP posts:

plominoagain · 21/04/2019 11:37

I hate these fuckers with a passion . I know for a fact that there are pictures of me and my colleagues on "Spotted in .... " Facebook page , in the midst of trying ( and failing in the end ) to keep someone alive . I think that unless you're filming as an actual witness to an incident , rather than a thoughtless wanker of a rubbernecker , then taking footage or pictures of these scenes should be a criminal offence .

Moneypenny007 · 21/04/2019 11:53

This year so far I have seen a video of the nz shootings being sent to someone, a mad killed in Northern Ireland lying in an alley way and a girl decapitated. These pics/videos are being shared. Now the guys that received them didn't send them on to anyone. I think it's so awful and would hate it to be my loved one.

Howvery · 21/04/2019 12:13

Unfortunately it seems to be everyone’s first reaction these days.
Last year I gave CPR to a lady who collapsed when we were out shopping. The amount of people who just stood around us filming with their mobile phones. It was so intimidating not to mention so disrespectful to the poor lady who was basically dying in front of them. Luckily the police turned up pretty quickly and were able to get people back but it made an already horrible situation so much worse. I never found out what happened to the lady as the paramedics arrived and took over and took her to hospital. I don’t get why anyone would stop and record it; Never mind the amount of people who did. It makes me so sad and angry thinking about it.

Princess1066 · 21/04/2019 12:22

Sick & shocking and one of the reasons I barely look at FB now

fancynancyclancy · 21/04/2019 12:23

So who are the people that watch this “footage”? I’ve never had anything shared with me or seen anything similar on a friends page. Why would you even want to see this stuff? Is it amusement, curiousity? Can’t they watch game of thrones?

lyralalala · 21/04/2019 12:27

People are hideous. One of my DDs has narcolepsy. Without fail anytime she has cataplexy some fucker (who probably has no actual idea why a healthy looking teenager has just hit the floor!) whips their phone out while she's on the ground. Someone ignored my other DD asking for their help when it happened on a road and filmed rather than help move her to safety.

The only time someone filming ever helped was when they filmed the scummy prick that stole her bag while she was on the ground and the people with her were distracted making sure she was ok to notice him lifting it.

People are often vile.

Puzzledandpissedoff · 21/04/2019 12:27

There has been universal revulsion on this thread so far. It would be really interesting to get someone who has no qualms about it!

It's hardly likely that anyone will come on here to get flamed for taking ghoulish pics of strangers, is it?

A PP mentioned selfies in Auschwitz, and when I was there in February some were doing exactly that in the death chamber (and were quite put out as they "couldn't get a decent background") When someone suggested a little more dignity, their phone-holding hands dropped listlessly to their sides and an expression beyond gormless appeared - only for them to carry right on afterwards

You really do have to wonder what's going on in these peoples' minds

senbei · 21/04/2019 12:29

It's "morbid curiosity" according to them. You can find it all over twitter especially whenever tragedy strikes. Most recent case being the NZ shooting.

lyralalala · 21/04/2019 12:32

So who are the people that watch this “footage”?

I think it's partly down to the likes of Sky News. Whenever anything happens they ask for people to send in any coverage they may have. Even the BBC do it on the news channel and online.

MarieVanGoethem · 21/04/2019 12:40

A couple of years ago I saw a man jump into the Thames from one of the bridges. I wasn’t that close to where he jumped (as in, I was also on the bridge, but some distance from him; & it was, as is usual for that bridge, busy, so there were LOTS of people closer) but I got my phone out & called to ask for the coastguard to come out; beetling up so I could tell them exactly where he was in the water by that point (& that he was trying to swim & was calling for help).

Everyone else there with a phone out was filming. Surprised none of them ended up in the river with him they were leaning over so far to get footage of what could very easily have been a man’s death.

Mercifully the lifeboat reached him in time. I still feel bad because I couldn’t make enough voice it’s like my disability messes with me deliberately sometimes to call down to him that help was coming & he was so SO scared & begging for help, only to stare up at a sea of cameras (& fecking iPads!), hidden behind which were more than a score of people looking-not-seeing.

LarryGreysonsDoor · 21/04/2019 12:52

I’ve never had anything like this shared on my Facebook feed.

The only time I’ve filmed something is when it might be useful as a witness, and that has only been antisocial behaviour, not a life in danger.

handslikecowstits · 21/04/2019 12:55

The lack of empathy is quite chilling, I think. Doesn't say much for the human race, does it?

courderoy · 21/04/2019 13:05

I’m epileptic. Thought of being filmed having a seizure is really horrible

fancynancyclancy · 21/04/2019 13:13

As another poster said I get people who were filming 9/11 or if someone was locked in a classroom with a shooter in the school. However I think that’s completely different to filming the aftermath of a RTA etc..

Maybe it’s the whole if I didn’t film it, it didn’t happen. I was born in the 80s so it’s not an instinctive thing for me to just reach for a phone whenever something happens.

I agree the media doesn’t help although lots of the eye witness accounts/phone footage they show never actually seem to contain much information.

The lack of empathy is quite chilling

Very depressing. I also agree that people are desensitised or as pp said they look but don’t see. I was caught up in a riot in Dublin once & I remember us having to run into a shop which pulled the shutters down. Everyone was just doing their best to get away from the ruck. If it happened today people would probably be running towards it to film it. We probably deserve to be wiped out by global warming!

Smotheroffive · 21/04/2019 13:26

Lexiloo I wonder what grounds the police arrested him on?

If that's actually illegal then it seems many posters on Farcebook and the like could also be arrested!

Also that gathering footage for use by TV news would be illegal too, but its not, they actively ask for it,and take it themselves.

All the grenfell tower footage, and 9/11; one only has to be on the motorway around an accident to see human nature's rubber-necking in action.

It is human-nature, but one can still do the decent thing and help or move out the way!

It's a survival thing

CaptainCallisto · 21/04/2019 14:48

@brizzlemint As far as I'm aware the hospital had told the police they would let them know as soon as she was out of surgery. They were definitely there shortly afterwards to help pick up the pieces and get her some support. Sad thing is, none of the people taking pictures of him while he was injured, or filming the paramedics trying to revive him, thought to get a picture or video of the lorry that ran the lights and hit him. Luckily the village shop has CCTV and caught the incident, but you would think at least one of them would have thought to try and film that instead of a crushed child fighting for his life...

Glamdring · 22/04/2019 04:42

I witnessed a serious accident and it was horrific and I was in shock and seeing two policemen lying on the floor dead was horrific. But I could believe the number of people clambering over fences and pushing past people to get a picture.

Having read a handful of other posts I'm just shocked at how little empathy/compassion/understanding/respect some people have! I'm so sad to read how people's family's have been affected by this and also just in dismay about the mentality of some people - I mean sharing pics/vids as well really horrendous.

Lexilooo · 23/04/2019 09:57

@smotheroffive he was arrested in connection with offences under the malicious communications act according to our local paper.

The images were screenshotted and sent to the police by someone who was disgusted/distressed by them and the police acted.

Duster12 · 23/04/2019 10:12

Glamdring - you could believe it or you couldn't?

Smotheroffive · 23/04/2019 11:05

Some people get into a frenzy over this type of thing.

Gross. Who wants these images on they're devices. I wouldn't want to

Toddlerteaplease · 23/04/2019 12:20

Not as bad as people gawping at car accidents , but there was a Facebook post recently; that showed a picture of a person clinically brain dead,
on their final journey to theatre to donate their organs. Being given a guard of honour by hospital staff. I think this is horrendous, I would not want a relative of mine to be subjected to that. And where is patient confidentiality.

Toddlerteaplease · 23/04/2019 12:22

*this happens in the US

Original poster

holly873 · 23/04/2019 14:35

toddler yes that is particularly bad taste. No need to make a spectical out of someone else's predicament like that.

OP posts:

dontmessagemethat · 23/04/2019 14:50

There are some real weirdos. My ex boyfriend fainted in a public place and all these random people were leaning over him and intruding on his privacy while I was told to stand back. The paramedics actually thought one of these strangers was his mum and started telling her what was going on. Grief hounds and leeches.

Hobbesmanc · 23/04/2019 14:50

Ghouls. Makes my skin crawl. When we were in Greece last summer, there was a young man pulled out of the sea just feet from the sun loungers. The life guard then the paramedics were really quick and were working on him for about 45 mins. We got up and moved off the beach as it was really distressing but there were people filming just an arms length away and people with kids continuing to play, oil themselves etc whilst a boy died in front of them. I honestly don't get it.

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