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Original poster

Woman left injured in busy road - cars drive round her!!!

23 replies

Hulababy · 29/09/2004 17:38

Here

"CCTV cameras captured at least a dozen drivers swerving around a woman as she lay unconscious and bleeding in a road in south-east London.
The footage shows none of the drivers stopped after avoiding the 25-year-old woman who was face down with her head in a gutter in Cray Road, Sidcup."

More on link.

Sounds nightmare. Why did no one stop. Eventually a bus stopped and the driver got help. But no one else stopped, driving round here instead.

I'd like to believe I would have stopped to see if she was okay and to get help once I had realised she wasn't.

But, how can we be sure? These people didn't stop, why?

OP posts:

codswallop · 29/09/2004 17:41

HUla you do find some amazing new stories!

littlemissbossy · 29/09/2004 17:42

Yes I heard this on the radio today. IMO they should prosecute the people that drove past - in other parts of Europe it is the LAW that you have to stop and help at such incidents

Original poster

Hulababy · 29/09/2004 17:56

LOL - it's Radio 2. The always finish the news bulletins with stuff like these - same as the Superman name one earlier. This one was more serious than that though. And then found it on BBC website.

The law thing is so tricky - should it be a legal duty of care to all passers bys, etc. Trouble with it is that you could be sued if you do something (thinking you're helping) and it goes wrong. Example is something like a doctor helping a patient on a planne with makeshift equipment. If doctor makes a mistake (may be tired, etc.) is he responsible? The patient (of their family) could then sue that doctor? So much to look into to guarantee that good samaritans can't get themselves in trouble too.

OP posts:

nikcola · 29/09/2004 17:57

bastards

GeorginaA · 29/09/2004 17:59

Plus also if (for example) you were a lone female driver and you had good reason to think an attacker might still be close by. Okay... so I would still use my mobile to call an ambulance/police in that situation, but not everyone has a mobile. I'm not 100% certain I would get out of the car, especially if my kids were with me and I felt that their safety would be threatened.

GeorginaA · 29/09/2004 17:59

i.e. you don't know how many of those drivers later pulled over safely and called 999.

Original poster

Hulababy · 29/09/2004 18:02

That's what I thought Georgina. It can be a difficult decision, especially if you have children with you. Bearing in mind the earlier story about the car being driven off with a baby inside it... makes you wonder. I do feel I would have pulled over and used my mobile though.

As the police have no ther witnesses I can only assume people hadn't stopped and called 999, other than the bus driver.

OP posts:

hercules · 29/09/2004 18:06

Hard to know why noone stopped. I very much doubt it was because they were uncaring though. They could have had very valid reasons. It isnt always so black and white.

fio2 · 29/09/2004 18:10

why am I not suprised

i was out with dh one night and some bloke started punching his g/f really bad. Dh went over to get him off and this bloke pulled a knife on him [shick] and but this is why people dont help and it is bloody disgusting. Didnt put my dh off though he is alkways in the thick of it >roll eyes

fio2 · 29/09/2004 18:13

oh god, not that this the same, just read the stort

will shut up in future

but alot of people just dont seem to care anyomore and dont want to be involved

essbee · 29/09/2004 18:15

Message withdrawn

JanH · 29/09/2004 19:48

I think - hope - that if I had seen her I would have at least stopped alongside, to protect her from traffic, and put my flashers on and sounded my horn until someone took notice, even if I was scared to get out of the car. It was 2pm ffs, not 2am. I am disgusted.

kalex · 29/09/2004 19:57

I drove done a slip road about 6 months ago, and as i was taking off from the give way I noticed a girl sitting in her car crying.

I went round the motorway and came back, and she was still sitting in her car crying.

I stopped, with both kids in the car and went and spoke to her, the girl had broken down and her mobile had run out of credit. I phoned the AA on my card and they came and helped her.

She phened me later that night to thank me. BUT I didn't do anything other than help somene, which I hope someone else would do for me in the same circumstances.

DP was furious, said I could have endangered myself or the children. BUT I would do it again

tallulah · 29/09/2004 20:22

I wouldn't have stopped either. I'd have assumed it was a trap- I've heard so many stories about people stopping like this & the friend is hiding somewhere so they can jump in your car while you are helping.

Having said that, I WOULD then have stopped (once safe) & phoned 999. (I was once first on the scene of a crash- my car full of kids on a dark unlit road & I did park behind the scene with my flashers on & get out to help.... so perhaps I'm not as careful as I think?)

If it was on CCTV why didn't the CCTV operator alert the emergency services?

JanH · 29/09/2004 20:28

The CCTV was on the bus that did stop, tallulah.

yingers74 · 29/09/2004 20:48

Kalex, that was a lovely thing you did. I imagine that girl will never forget your kindness.

This story has been on the london news a lot. Being a londoner, I hate to say it but I imagine it has a lot to do with the london/south east way of thinking. I once helped a charity on a stall asking people for signatures, and the number of people who ignored me or were rude rather than say sorry not interested shocked me.
Yes some would not have stopped because they thought it was a trap others I honestly believe chose not to help as they needed to get somewhere, did not care or they just thought it was a drunk.

it is horrible but I think the way we live now means it does happen

Flossam · 29/09/2004 20:53

(Whispers)I happen to know that she is recovering quite well now, despite being (Obviously) sick to start off with.

kalex · 29/09/2004 21:01

Flossam - you dont have to whispoer that - how do you know, is she in your hospital

kalex · 29/09/2004 21:01

And if so I am very gald that it was an Mnetter looking after her

Twinkie · 30/09/2004 10:54

This is a super busy road - it is very near me and this happened at 2.15 in the afternoon so believe me there wasn't much chance thatthe people who didn't stop were scared of being attacked or anything!!

Makes me furious that people are not taught from an early age to be more aware of others and their needs to be honest, if everyone thought just that little about others before themselves we would live in a much nicer place!!

SoupDragon · 30/09/2004 11:00

I don't know if I would have got out but I would definitely have pulled up behind her, put my hazard lights on and called 999.

It's difficult to say if I would have got out as it would depend on a lot of things and I don't know the area. Having had my bad snatched from my car when I was recycling (and DS1 was in the car at the time) I'm very wary about leaving my car.

Original poster

Hulababy · 30/09/2004 11:12

And that woman yesterday had her car taken with her baby in it during the day too - and she was watching the car at all times. I guess people are sjust wary. I think the idea of stopping, hazard lights on and calling 999 from car is probably the safer option, especially if you have your children with you

OP posts:

Marina · 30/09/2004 11:15

Snap SoupDragon, and if we'd have been together in the car dh or I would also have stayed with her until help arrived. I was really upset by this local news story, good to hear the poor woman was in good hands Flossam.

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