Team-BHP - Somebody is lying unconscious after an accident on road: Would you help?

Yup. And since there have been no calls so far, I have my fingers crossed, that all's well that ends well. Maybe this is a wrong thread but I really wanted to know if someone were to ride a bicycle across the Expressway, or run across the road, and I knocked them down while driving at 80 kmph (my Safari feels like its gonna topple if I do anything above that, but that's for another thread), would I be arrested and charged with negligent driving? yes, I would go to court and use those wasted years at Law college to ensure that the charges were thrown out, but would I be charged in the first place? I think I would, as that is the regular police routine.

I had an incident in the US, when I lived there, where I hit another car that had decided to cut lanes and get off the interstate without indicating. We both remained on the scene, the state troopers' came and said that I was in the clear and told me to move off and proceeded to ticket the violator. Here, that wouldn't work right?

Quote:

Originally Posted by djpeesh (Post 2345615)

... but I really wanted to know if someone were to ride a bicycle across the Expressway, or run across the road, and I knocked them down while driving at 80 kmph (my Safari feels like its gonna topple if I do anything above that, but that's for another thread), would I be arrested and charged with negligent driving?...

Yes. You would be charged. That is the way it works here. Sad but true. If you are driving your car in your lane and a bike gets knocked down on to your path by another vehicle and you run over the biker (simply because even God could not have done anything in such a situation), you will be arrested for rash and negligent driving. A truck driver was arrrested and charged similarly in Pune a couple of weeks back.

I was on the way to Kurukshetra from Kaithal (my in-laws place) along with wife. It was my 2nd or 3rd visit after marriage.

It was around 6-7pm. Just 10kms outside Kaithal a policeman standing alongside a Gypsy waved me to stop. I thought it might be a routine checking drive. But when I stopped, I saw someone had fled off after knocking down a pedestrian. This person was crying and blood was coming out of injury marks on his legs & head. I could not make out how serious this person is.

The policeman requested me to take this guy to hospital in Kurukshetra (a good 40kms) away. I asked him why he doesn't take this guy in his Gypsy to Kaithal which is nearer. He said that this guy (and his friend who was not hurt) belongs to Kurukshetra and his family will be in better position to take care of him there. To me it was not logical to make an injured person travel 40kms rather his family other way around. Then I said I'll take this guy to Kurukshetra but I want that policeman come with me (to cover any risk). He said he is on patrol duty he can't leave his area, but he said I need not worry as in case someone asks anything, I can direct them to him . I could make out that policeman does not want this case to remain in his area.

After giving a thought about risks and fact that i was in my known area (in-laws town on one side, my town on another and in between lies my native village), I agreed to take person (and his friend) along with me. Presence of police also helped. But I ensured to note down regn no, of police Gypsy and mobile no. of policeman (just in case).

After reaching kurukshetra I dropped off the guy in civil hospital and left. Some of his friend were there to recieve him. No problem whatsoever after that.

Later my wife told me that she a bit scared during whole journey, but in end it is good that we could help someone. However, I am not sure what I would have done if there was no police man at the site.

Probably 10 yrs back people would not hesitate to help an accident victim on road. But the trend is changing fast. Unless it looks geunine i will not stop to help , especially if traveling with family. Not that the trend is they rob and let you go, there may be some trigger happy morons or rogues ready to hit yo and kill to mask their identity. Where do i strike a balance ? . I rather not help unless it seems geunine i.e, probably if you witness the accident.

This incident happened in mangalore i think in 2004/05 . one my collegue travelling in a car came across a person lying in road with blood on him. Being in the medical field she was all the more compelled to help the victim, got him admitted to hospital. now the senario was he was a paralysed in both the legs years before the accident. Few days later a local politician , a powerful lawyer relatives of the victim, and few local people visited my collegues house. Their demand was simple and extrordinary, the wanted my collegue to give a statement that they hit him and that they would show he was paralysed as a result of that in court.. why ? , so that the person gets a better compensation. The deal would be they would not press charges of any kind on my collegue. She and her husband flately refused that, from then on they were put under such pressure from different politicos and local rogues they gave up in the end and accepted to it. Though subsequently nothing happened to them.

Though its not directly related to topic , thought this was a right place to share it.