[autocrat]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Why are we always in such a hurry?

I think its population that's the primary cause. There is just too many of us and we are inconsiderate to others. We have to compete for everything - getting a seat in the bus, getting into a bus or train, secure a bench in a park, or parking space for our car, and even for some space on road. Animal instinct?

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by autocrat

I think its population that's the primary cause. There is just too many of us and we are inconsiderate to others. We have to compete for everything - getting a seat in the bus, getting into a bus or train, secure a bench in a park, or parking space for our car, and even for some space on road. Animal instinct?

Yea Yea. A veritable truth indeed! This is exactly my wife's theory. Too much competition here, for everything.
This 'animal' instinct has led to the 'Might is Right' syndrome and the general breakdown of good manners and the other trappings of genteel, ordered, civilized society, giving rise to chaos and anarchy as evidenced daily on the streets of our Indian cities.

[phamilyman]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Yea Yea. A veritable truth indeed! This is exactly my wife's theory. Too much competition here, for everything.
This 'animal' instinct has led to the 'Might is Right' syndrome and the general breakdown of good manners and the other trappings of genteel, ordered, civilized society, giving rise to chaos and anarchy as evidenced daily on the streets of our Indian cities.

True, but it goes further. If that person is dead, then others may fear that by helping they may just get implicated for the same accident by the police (there have been instances like that mentioned even on TBHP). We're a screwed up country. Mera bharat mahaan my foot.

[hrman]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Yea Yea. A veritable truth indeed! This is exactly my wife's theory. Too much competition here, for everything.
This 'animal' instinct has led to the 'Might is Right' syndrome and the general breakdown of good manners and the other trappings of genteel, ordered, civilized society, giving rise to chaos and anarchy as evidenced daily on the streets of our Indian cities.

A classic example I can think of. How many times do we let the vehicle joining the road from the building or office on the left to join our lane ahead of us? People will suddenly feel the competitive need to not allow another car to join our lane or leave it upto the cars behind us to allow this car to join the road.

Even when we intend to make a right turn and indicate, the vehicle following you far behind on the right will want to overtake you from the right before you execute your turn.

Originally Posted by phamilyman

True, but it goes further. If that person is dead, then others may fear that by helping they may just get implicated for the same accident by the police (there have been instances like that mentioned even on TBHP). We're a screwed up country. Mera bharat mahaan my foot.

Having seen and heard of this happening, I don't blame you for feeling this way. Sometimes makes me think this is a bottomless pit of problems which have no solutions.

[apachelongbow]

Its safest not to get down from our car, help the accident victim. Its best to pass by,call the toll free helpline, police number and the ambulance number, so that help can reach the victims asap. Any other thing like getting down and helping the victim comes at its own risk, as umpteen posts in this very forum has shown!!!

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by apachelongbow

Its safest not to get down from our car, help the accident victim. Its best to pass by,call the toll free helpline, police number and the ambulance number, so that help can reach the victims asap. Any other thing like getting down and helping the victim comes at its own risk, as umpteen posts in this very forum has shown!!!

Hi apachelongbow!

I don't agree with you on this opinion (no offense) of leaving that person on his own to bleed. It depends on how serious that person is hurt/injured and place of accident as most parts of the city will be crowded for the ambulance to even enter the site.

I had been in an accident an year back in the city where a biker to a turn coming the wrong side and went in the opposite direction. He had hit my bike's leg guard. I fell down was not in my senses with my bike totaled and lost mobile. The place was crowded so much that the ambulance could not come from either sides. The the police came and took me home. I was not that hurt but still.

Every time I see an accident I do stop and help the person let it be in what hurry I am. At least the police in Hyderabad are not worse to book a case on the person who gets the patient to hospital instead Thanks him!

Anurag.

[srinih75]

I too wont support to see a person bleeding, but definitely there is a certain amount of risk we will take as trying to help. Three weeks ago my friend at Mysore near Infosys saw a biker having fallen down (he is an Infosys employee (me my friend also work today for Infosys)) and stopped the car and offer to help. People nearby formed a crowd and starting raising decibels. The biker explained the situation - a dog jumped in front of him and he tried to avoid it, but hit it and skid and fell. This saved my friend. The guy called few of his friends. Once they arrived my friend took this guy to the hospital in his car. Now the episode just begins. The locals started rallying for cash - for what - the dog which died. It seems it was some guys pet stray dog. They wanted 6k. The friends didn't budge, later they bargained for 1k. Finally nothing was paid and they left the scene with the bike which was damaged after some couple of hours.

A year ago, while on Hosur road I had to slow down suddenly for an unmarked hump. A biker behind me came in and rammed my rear (still have that mark - now adorned by a Team BHP sticker!). The guy fell started shouting. I stopped a few meters away. People surrounded me. I tried to explain the situation. No one would want to listen. People want to know my religion, my native place, etc. Finally my wife came out and spoke in Kannada and the biker also agreed he didn't notice the hump or my car itself and hit me. That saved my day.

What do you say here? Did I do the right thing by stopping to make sure the guy wasn't injured? If you feel its worth to take some risk and pain may be we can stop to check, else I will definitely say stay inside the car. Call 108 and insurance company and later the cops.

[akshay4587]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

True, but it goes further. If that person is dead, then others may fear that by helping they may just get implicated for the same accident by the police (there have been instances like that mentioned even on TBHP). We're a screwed up country. Mera bharat mahaan my foot.

Exactly,this is what the cops asked me,Did you hit the kid.
Only when i guided them to break marks of a 4 wheeler,they agreed.

[apachelongbow]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

Hi apachelongbow!

I don't agree with you on this opinion (no offense) of leaving that person on his own to bleed. It depends on how serious that person is hurt/injured and place of accident as most parts of the city will be crowded for the ambulance to even enter the site.

Anurag, really good that you got help when you needed it. Frankly, I my experience when I suffered a bike accident due to a carelessly placed rock on the road was the complete opposite, no one to help, everyone stopped to stare comment and move on.
From that day i decided that I will repay in the same coin, If I have to take care of myself, then so will everyone else. It works both ways. No expectations and no giving.

[reswaran]

Originally Posted by apachelongbow

If I have to take care of myself, then so will everyone else. It works both ways. No expectations and no giving.

Really unfortunate that you didn't get any help, but I did. And I think one good turn deserves another, quoting my post in another thread which details my accident and the timely help I received.

Originally Posted by reswaran

I finally paid my dues yesterday. Was being driven (!!) back home from an errand, when I witnessed a smash up, a guy on a red Hero Honda Passion plowed into a car waiting to take a U turn near the shell petrol pump at Siddapura on the Varthur road. He looked pretty shocked, and his left ankle was at a 90 degree angle to the rest of his leg!!

Couple of bystanders loaded him into the back of our humble Maruti 800 and I was able to drop him off at Yashomathi hospital near Marathahalli. This incident further taught me to never be scared of helping an accident victim. Most hospitals don't bug good Samaritans. The guys at Yashomati trauma/emergency ward realized I was just dropping him off, and waited for his friends to do all the paperwork. whilst at the same time tending to his injuries.

However if you decide to help an accident victim, keep the following in mind:

1. Assess if the victim can be moved. Moving a victim with head,neck and spinal injuries can be fatal.
2. If first aid cannot be administered on the spot and the victim is stable, remember to secure the victims personal belongings befoe shifting him to the hospital. Bike keys, wallet, phone, laptop etc.
3. Make a note of how the incident occured and registration numbers of the vehicles involved.
4. Call friends/family and wait for them to arrive. Pass on information about the incident.
5. In most cases, calling an ambulance is the best way to go

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by reswaran

Really unfortunate that you didn't get any help, but I did. And I think one good turn deserves another, quoting my post in another thread which details my accident and the timely help I received.

Nice to see the help you got too reswaran.

The most important point is to search for his personal belongings as it is a common site of public steal their purses and mobiles at the accident spot.

Water must be given to the victim till the ambulance arrives so that his body and brain can relax little bit (not that it would) but psychologically it will help.

[reswaran]

Now that I've read a few of the posts here in detail, it is quite scary actually. I stopped and helped someone, because someone did so when I had a horrific crash. However, as others have had pretty bad experiences while stopping, it is probably a good idea to trust instinct and not rush blindly to stop and help. I'd help if:
1. The victim is in a bad way, broken bones, profuse bleeding etc.
2. I know the locality,city,local language.
3. There are no friends/relatives around to do the job.

Makes sense?

[akshay4587]

And it happened again last night, it was raining on NH-22 and around 10-45PM ,i was driving back home from work.Suddenly i noticed that the bus going ahead of me,made a sudden swerve,i thought it was a signal to overtake,and i pushed the throttle to go ahead,but what i saw on road,was a scooter in the middle of highway on a dark rainy night,with a person lying just next to it,and his footwear near the divider,this day was different,Since it was a dark night and i was alone i simply could not muster up courage to go and have a look,and i drove off,there were no cops around.

[faustus77]

Aksshay4587
Hi.
Personally I think it was a wise decision.
It could have resulted in anything.With hardly anybody around and at that time of the night discretion is better.
With our cops bending over backwards for the rich and famous the ordinary mortal gets the short stick.The worst part is that you can't argue.
A wee bit OT. Bombay newspapers are full of news how the Indian Police act(framed in 1861)is still enforced on the hapless citizens.
Regards

[drsingh]

About two years ago when I was working as an EMO ,in a medical institute with close proximity to a highway, we got lots of trauma cases. Most people who brought in strangers from the road were rural folk from surrounding villages.

And they stayed around till the relatives came . I think they weren't too busy worrying about
" life " and collective community responsibility is still a way of life in our rural areas.

It could also be due to close proximity to our institution and the knowledge that they'd get prompt attention from specialists.we were nothing like a sarkari hospital because we had never experienced one and we were just out of medical college.

There was no official policy in place regarding bearing the expenses. We had an understanding with the official chemist and he gave supplies on credit till relatives showed up.

The rural folk never expected to get in any trouble cause they probably knew the local police by name and from experience they knew help is available " free of cost ".

I think if clear policy to not inconvenience the helpers, trauma infrastructure is put in place more people would help.

Otherwise this kind of a case can become a real headache.As one guy who brought an unconscious guy with an overdose of drugs found out. We found drugs in the guys pockets and the police wanted to interrogate the other guy too.

The guy vanished in time, and probably did well to do so, cause I heard the police in charge ordering a FIR be registered agsinst the "second druggie" .

The tragedy is our police force is often filled with " opportunists" who try to extort money from anyone unfortunate enough to get entangled in their web.

But they wouldn't be able to pull off something like this on a couple of guys from suburbs or rural areas, they're more street smart than " urban folk". And less scared about what life throws in their path.