A total of 15 motorists and motorcyclists ignored a student who was run over by a hit-and-run driver in a traffic accident late last month before a man surnamed Yang came to help him in the northern harbor city of Keelung.
An inspection of the images gathered by surveillance cameras showed that a student, surnamed Yu, of Keelung Commercial and Industrial High School, was knocked off his scooter and run over by a truck driver at the intersection of Guangming Road and Zhichiang Street on the evening of April 27.
When I left Taiwan in 99, people still were very helpful when there was an accident. Things are sure different now in that respect I guess. Incredibly callous not to render assistance (even of the most basic kind) to help out a fellow human bean in distress.
Can’t do it, can’t watch that kind of footage. Not the accidents themselves. But the over-sincere, concerned journalism that follows. It’s so fookin obvious what the cause is. Yet on and on they go, the same kind of crap after every hit’n’run, drunk-drive or u-turn manoeuvre whilst yelling down the dog at the wife.
[quote=“engerim”]
… 15 motorists and motorcyclists ignored a student who was run over…[/quote]
Yep. Situation normal, all fucked up. I first saw this over 20 years ago and was then shocked to be told by friends that I shouldn’t stop or help in case I was blamed for the accident myself. At first I thought this was nonsense but then I met some good samaritans who’d had a very hard time convincing the cops they had just stopped to assist and weren’t in any way responsible for the accident. The ‘logic’ of the cops and the victim was “well, if you aren’t guilty, why did you stop? Only a person with a guilty conscience would stop!” :loco: Of course the victim needs someone to be responsible for what happened to them so that they get paid. The cops are only too happy for some innocent schmuck to take the fall as it’s a case closed… better for their precinct.
It feels rotten to drive on by but I will call 119 if I see an accident that’s just happened and no emergency vehicles at the scene.
The Taichung video surprises me in only one way, that the gravel truck didn’t back over the victim and make sure they were dead. It’s cheaper that way and the driver’s association has a special fund to pay out for one-time settlements resulting from deaths. They do not have one for lifetime payments to those crippled in collisions…
In an era when people who help others often end up being targets for lawsuits, scams or irresponsible media reporting, or become chief suspects in crimes, it’s not surprising that people are reluctant to help those in need. A shame.
Well, I am sure this is the case the world over, from time in memorial…remember the good Samaritan?? It’s not about lawsuits or scams, people can always justify walking away. It happens EVERYWHERE.
I call major BS on this one… I travel frequently around Europe and N.America and never once have I seen the blatant disregard of an injured/distressed person like I have seen here. It’s the culture here and I thank fucking God that when I finally get fed up with the shit I have the opportunity to go to a place where things like this just do not happen.
Just two weeks ago I watched an elderly lady get nailed by a car and the only two people to stop were myself and a Indonesian worker. The Taiwanese just kept zipping by without a thought of slowing down.
The worst thing is a lot of the locals can’t even be bothered to call 119. They just drive by, or honk and drive by. One of my friends was in an accident and had a broken leg and was banged up to the point where she couldn’t get up. She was lying in the street for almost 30 minutes before someone stopped and called for help, meanwhile cars and scooters just drove around her and honked.
I have personally helped with 4 accidents and not once was there any danger of being scammed or charged for being involved.
Who cares, just somebody dying. Life has very little value here, and no this is absolutely not the same in other non-Chinese countries where the majority of the people have basic human values and a conscience. Not saying all people here, but from what I have seen this is the case for most.
I don’t know about the more hardened ‘lifers’ on this forum, but I know that I personally could NEVER just keep driving without doing something to help. Even if you don’t know CPR, how hard is it to call an ambulance? Can you actually just go home and sleep knowing you did nothing to help? It amazes me that so many people can turn off morality like a light switch, or maybe the morality was never there in the first place.
I may one day be sued, or put in jail for a crime I didn’t commit, but I will NEVER pretend I don’t see another human or animal in need, it’s about basic human values, morality, and caring for our fellow inhabitants.
[quote=“Homey”]
I may one day be sued, or put in jail for a crime I didn’t commit, but I will NEVER pretend…[/quote]
Very noble of you. I take it you can afford to be locked up for a while and don’t have any family who would be damaged by your absence or sudden and complete bankruptcy? I don’t like passing on by, but I owe it to my family not to get involved, and I do what I can by calling 119.
passerbys didnt notice this man was unconscious and injured (near death) at a bart station. Last videotaped alive at 3am. 2 and a half hours later found to be near death. People thought he was a homeless guy. The guy was a young berkeley grad.
passerbys didnt notice this man was unconscious and injured (near death) at a bart station. Last videotaped alive at 3am. 2 and a half hours later found to be near death. People thought he was a homeless guy. The guy was a young berkeley grad.
Someone couldve paid attention to him but didnt.[/quote]
Slightly different if you ask me. He was found at 5 AM (I don’t think there’s many people passing by between 3 and 5).
For the NYC case I’m not sure someone actually saw the stabbing.
This is the worst case I’ve read this year from NYC: dailymail.co.uk/news/worldne … emale.html
The security guards were asked (in advance) not to engage any ongoing fights.
Except for above’s example. Driving around someone’s scooter in the middle of the road when you just saw a crash happening (not to mention driving over his head) or someone lying on the sidewalk isn’t exactly the same. Can we focus on traffic accidents again :s
We like to say “life has little value”, but that’s too general - people would (probably) help their family and friends and such, what this is is selfishness, inconsiderateness, and a lack of empathy. Same type of mindset that produces people parking their bicycles in the middle of the bike path while they chat away on the cell.
I really wish there was a natural selection way of weeding out these shitforbrains, like those who don’t wear scooter/motorcycle helmets…
if you DO stop to help, and you should, park your vehicle BEFORE the accident scene, not beyond it… much easier to avoid getting blamed for anything then.
There is a way of weeding out those who don’t wear helmets, TwoTongues… other drivers. especially in Taiwan.
Can we focus on traffic accidents again :s