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06 Jun 2008 09:16 pm

A Samaritan-Free Road Ctd.

A reader writes:

Actually, the scene in that video isn't too bad.  As a volunteer EMT for a few years I responded to exactly two pedestrians hit by cars, and both times well meaning bystanders pulled the patient our of the street and tried to prop up their heads - exactly what you don't want when your biggest concern is a head or neck injury.  Other than stopping traffic, keeping the patient's head and neck still, and talking to them to keep them calm, there really isn't anything to do until the ambulance gets there.

A police officer was on the scene in about one minute, a very prompt response, so one of the witnesses probably called for help right away.  They probably couldn't have gotten help any faster unless they'd been hit by the actual ambulance.

It sucks to sit and watch people not rush over to help, but it's easy to forget how surprising and stressful those situations can be when they're not just little scenes on the computer screen.  Bystanders feel scared and helpless during emergencies, and most people just don't know what to do.  The impulse to walk away and let someone else deal with it is usually a reaction to those feelings, not an expression of callousness.  The real callousness is evident after the adrenalin wears off.  A better example of non-Samaritanism would be a video of people walking past a homeless person trying to get some sleep on a sidewalk or park bench.

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