To ask people not to just walk on by?

[aibutohavethisusername]

I had a fall earlier, tripped over a loose paving slab and hurt my ankle and wrist. My pride was the most damaged thing. I’m fine now.

People around me just carried on walking or stares at me. Nobody checked to see if I was OK.

It makes me sad to think that the world we live in is so uncaring nowadays.

I would never in a million years dream of just walking by if I thought someone had hurt themselves. I'm sorry that happened.

I fell backwards on the beach last week. Full of people..
Not a second glance.
The only one who came to see if I was OK was the bloody ddog that had pulled me over...

I've stopped to see if people were ok and I have seen others stop too. DH always does as he used to be a paramedic so always checks to see if the person needs help.

I have heard quite a few stories of people being ignored though. I suffer from migraines which can come on suddenly and I struggle to see and usually throw up. I have thrown up in the street a few times and not once has anyone asked if I am ok

Aw, OP, sorry you fell. It's horrible, isn't it? I fell over a pavement back in August and am still tiptoeing about like the floor is an icerink.

I don't know if it helps, but when I fell several folk rushed to help although I was too embarrassed to admit I'd painfully taken all the skin off my knee. I limped home and cried like a baby for an hour.

Have since read that fear of falling makes you more likely to fall. Brilliant!

Anyway, take care, hope you feel better soon.

I came over very peculiar at new street station Thursday morning and nearly fainted on the platform, stumbled and fell toward the track. Nobody gave a shite! I took myself off and leaned on the wall until I felt better. I don't know, I guess people have got their own stuff going on.

When I was 8 my Dad had a heart attack. He was at home and recognised the symptoms. We didn't have a phone in the house (this was waaaaay before mobiles) but we did live next to a very busy bus stop. He managed to stagger to the front door and ask for help.

Nobody helped him as they didn't want to miss the bus.

He did actually survive that one, no thanks to the queue at the bus stop.

I remember studying this years ago for A level psych, studies were done on a US subway. People help more if the injured person is the same colour as them than if they are different. More if they think they are vulnerable, less if they think they are pissed. Can anyone else remember the rest (or the name of the psychologists?)

I would've helped you. Hope you're feeling better now. 💐

My grandma fell on ice at the start of the year - she slipped and head butted into a wall. A young guy helped her up and drove her to the local doctors surgery. He even jumped to the front of the queue to demand she was seen! We thanked him on our local Facebook page but he didn’t come forward.

I, like some PPs, wonder if it's regional. When I first moved up to Scotland from London, over 40 years ago, I was struck by the fact that complete strangers would chat to me at bus stops or in shops. Down south I was more used to people avoiding eye contact.
I saw one poor old soul overturn their wheelchair and fall out while trying to get across a busy road junction in Perth. Everybody rushed to help, to pick up the chair, check the person was ok, lift them back in.
The same with a car that crashed at speed into a lamp post in the city centre - we all went to help until the ambulance arrived.
When we have bad winters I sometimes get stuck in the snowdrifts. I've had strangers get out of their cars and help to dig mine free before driving off themselves.
A gang of neighbours helped to dig out my car and push it up onto the pack ice of our street so I could get to work at the hospital.
My DD (martial arts trained) regularly intervenes if she sees young women being harassed by men late at night while waiting for buses or walking home.
There are far more good kind people than there are shits - at least, that's been my experience!

My Grandma fell over a step to a shop a few years ago, as broke her hip. Mum, so was there at the time said that someone tried to step over her to enter the shop whilst the paramedics were treating her.

A woman slipped outside boots today, flat on her face, then another woman fell ontop of her! Loads of people offered assistance though. We went to but they already had too many helpers.

@TheQueef your story was hilarious. Sorry for laughing!

I went arse over tit when I was 36 weeks pregnant and nobody helped me...

My friend was walking out of a shop about five steps behind a woman a few years ago during a really snowy December. I was still at the till. The next thing my friend saw was a whole roof of snow slide down on top of the woman in front. Needless to say my friend and her daughter were very shocked. They stepped to one side to wait for me and a member of staff came out of the shop and accused my friend of rubber necking!!! 🤯 🤯 🤯 🤯

I always stop to help.
A couple of years ago there was an Rtc where an elderly lady had driven into a pond when she fell asleep at the wheel. Me and one other chap got her out ( chest deep in rising water in December with a broken femur). I was the fifth vehicle to come to a standstill behind the accident and there were fuckers filming the incident before doing anything useful.
The bystander effect is unbelievable.

I'm Glaswegian, I'd almost bet my house on people here asking if you were ok.

Just to give a more positive story, last year I slipped on black ice on the pavement on my way to work, falling forwards hard and ripping my coat. A man driving past actually stopped his car to ask if I was OK (I was fine, just bruised and embarrassed). It was very kind, especially as he was probably on his way to work at the time.

I’m so glad it’s not just me that has made a total dick of themselves with a spectacular fall.

@TheQueef - I so wish I could have seen that.

The other day at work I was rushing to deliver a presentation to a few VIP’s. 5 mins away from the building, I slip on the kerb, fall to my knees, gashing my knees and ripping my tights open, not seriously hurt (I didn’t even drop my bag & folder) but a bit shaken. Was wearing a suit with dress just above the knee, no hiding the bloody mess of my knees. Colleague helps me up, then I rush to the loos, take tights off, turn them around backwards putting the rip at the back. Then do the presentation & Q&A making sure I stay at the same angle to whole time, not turning to side!!! Hoped all the way through that blood wasn’t trickling down my leg. Think I pulled it off.

Normally I would agree with you about Scotland being full of nicer people but I live in Scotland and previously on this thread told story of the supposed Good Samaritan stealing a accident victim’s wallet. So I guess there are awful people everywhere.

I can't understand people who could ignore someone in need like that. I saw a woman who had fallen off her bike and was being helped by a man but he couldnt do much as he was on foot. I somehow got her bike in my small car, she sat in the front seat with my dog at her knees. It was cramped but she got home ok to her family. Helping someone blesses them and also yourself.

As a small girl I fell down on a wall and lacerated my fanjo. A kind man walked me home.
I had blood all down my legs.
Imagine a man being seen these days in such a situation...
I have a scar my GP kindly told me!!
Imo people don't want to be mistakenly blamed for the incident so don't get involved.

People think they would always help but when it comes to the moment they don't. Maybe herd mentality or maybe just busy or don't want to be involved.

I used to think people would help but have recently been harassed after stepping up as a witness. I asked the other witness to the incident if she would also come forward but was told no, she didn't want to be involved. Another witness to other incidents relevant to the case also didn't want to be involved so it left only me. The safety of a child was the subject of the court case.

As a result I have lost my faith that others will always help, even when they know a child is at risk and even if they agree it needs done.

But now I know that I think I am even less likely to walk past or turn a blind eye because if you don't help, who else will?

I assisted a visually impaired chap cross the road the other day. He was standing at the kerb with a white stick so I asked if I could help.

Several other people had passed by, looked at him and crossed the road. I’m not sure how much of that was awkwardness with not knowing how to treat a person with a disability?

I have certainly noticed that when one person goes to help, other people step up to assist them.

When I was a teenager I was walking my Great Grandmother home through a field with a set path, but it was grass and slippy from rain. I didn’t react quick enough to catch her when she slipped and fell face first into the ditch running alongside the path (she lived very rurally and this was actually the easiest/safest path home generally) I had to pull her up and I was a waif of a teen and my great Gran was a large lady. A family saw it happen as they were walking towards us - they laughed and called us scrubbers. I was livid and used my rage to fuel pulling her up and yelled at them for good measure.

She had a huge cut across her forehead which was pouring blood. Since then I have made sure to help whenever I see someone hurt.