feel sorry for this guy

[colintandy]

was on my way to pick wife up from work late last friday nite was dark  :shock: was raining hard and im out in disco :D  im on a back road towards a village called lamport im heading towards northampton and just befor there are a few bad bends...anyway with the way people are warning me by flashing lights :(scared):  ect that there is a problem up ahead arrive and there is a woman on her side in a car in ditch on left there is also a car other side in a ditch but about 40 foot further up  anyway woman driver ok went to see other fella in car and he said he braked hard to stop hitting woman all ok and the emergency services called ....picture this  im sat in middle of road got my spots on and roof lights to warn traffic  the guy says to me could i pull him out ditch cos its only just in its a ford mondeo estate anyway i reply can do but will wait till old bill get here and let them check out situation  as the road would need blocking off !  for me to carry out safley in this dark wet weather! then i said to him while we wait check out where your front recovery point is on car do you know at all he said yes its here and at that point he walked to car went to front that was in ditch and then suddenly he dissapears out sight ! i look down and the poor fella is up to his neck in a very deep ditch full of water he only got a shirt and tie on at that point im trying my hardest not to laugh :D  :D  :D  anyway looking at car and ditch now the whole car could slip into ditch sideways so hes wet i offer him a blanket he say no im ok all matcho now you see i say ok only if your sure cos i would not get in vehicle its not safe anyway go back to lady on side she ok we here the police and fire crews arrive i turn around and speak with old bill and then all you here is the mondeo start up  he has jumped in and tried to move again and guess what happend next  :shock: yep the car went sideways in and now its realy stuck and the fella is well pixxxx off now i speak with old bill and they call a recovery truck out for him anyway what is bad is the amount of vehicles that warned me beforhand  but none stopped to help out !  :shock:  :

[TimM]

I feel sorry for him for fallin into the ditch himself, but you did warn him about his car...... so I'm going to  :lol:  instead.

I agree about the other vehicles, they should have been stopping and if nothing else ensuring the emergency services were called, those two could have easily had some serious injuries.  

[Bush Tucker Man]

what is bad is the amount of vehicles that warned me beforhand  but none stopped to help out !  :shock:  :

Sadly that's far too common these days.
People either 'don't want to get involved', or are too scared by stories in the media.


I've stopped on several occassions.
The last was up on a dead-end lane that leads onto the old road over Ilkley Moor.

It was a Toyota with an Asian driver & the bonnet up, cars had been going up & down as I motored up the hill.
I coasted alongside & asked if he was okay, he told me he'd been there all night as it wouldn't start & I was the only one who'd stopped.

On the first touch of the jump-leads it burst into life,
He was genuinely grateful & offered recompense, which was politely refused. I simply told him to do the same for someone else, as years ago my girlfriend (now SWMBO) had been helped when she was rendered immobile.

It was the same again, people didn't want to (or couldn't be bothered) to stop.

The other recent occurance was a lady with a flat-tyre at the side of the A1.
I did insist that she moved it as far as humanly possible to the left (it was an off-side tyre)
And yes, I had my 'Hi-Viz' on as soon as I got out

[laser_jock99]

 what is bad is the amount of vehicles that warned me beforhand  but none stopped to help out !  :shock:  :

Seems to happen a lot these days. Last week I stopped to assist an old lady whose exhaust had fallen of and jammed under the car leaving her stuck in the middle of the Fossway-just below the brow of hill! I got a flash warning from a car coming the other way, so was alert for danger. She had been there for 20 minutes- no one had stopped to help and it was nearly dark.

I pulled the car down the hill away from the hill crest and cut off the exhaust box to get her on her way. I also sugested she should get a mobile phone!

[Bush Tucker Man]

Seems to happen a lot these days. Last week I stopped to assist an old lady whose exhaust had fallen of and jammed under the car leaving her stuck in the middle of the Fossway-just below the brow of hill!

I remember perhaps a couple of years ago at the roundabout at FerryBridge Services which is on the interchange of the A1 & M62, just to the east of Pontefract.

I'd been to 'WandaHomes' a caravan dealer (which is up the red-dotted lane & is the cluster of buildings at the edge of the north-bound 'off' slip-road)
I was standing waiting for a gap in the traffic to get out & noticed a landing skid (the semi-circular foot from the bottom of a semi-trailers front legs)

I'd been considering moving it, as I could see what may happen, as these are big lumps of metal.
Then it did..
A Jetta (or Golf?) came round & there was an almightly 'THUMP'
It had wedged into the sump & with sparks flying it came to a rapid halt.

Within seconds I had the Discovery half on the grass behind it & persuading the (lady) drive to abandon her car.

I phoned the Police & within minutes had a Traffic Officer with me, as it was essentially stuck in lane 1 of the M62 west-bound 'on' ramp

I did offer to move the car, if he'd stop the traffic for me, but upon closer  inspection the foot was wedged against the block, so we decided against it & he organised recovery.


What scared me was the ladies initial reluctance to get out of her car until she'd finished the phone-call she was making :shock:  :shock:  :shock:
Are people stupid, or simply don't live in the real world?

[Carroll]

Most people don't stop because they can't be bothered, but a few -I'm sure- don't because they worry about being sued.

I'm not being daft here, in the Coastguard we used to pull vehicles stuck on beaches etc to safety. We're not supposed now because a suprising number of them put in claims for damage done during the recovery. (Small things like scratches were in there I seem to recall)

(There has to be someone stuck in the vehicle now for us to try anything)

 :roll:

[Bush Tucker Man]

I can't believe it, but as I wrote that I was actually trembling with the memory of it & what could have happened to that woman if she'd stopped in the car. :oops:

[Bush Tucker Man]

After an inspection & a chat in the waiting room the man withdrew his claim, as the area was already rusty.
Cheeky git wanted us to pay for his old damages :lol:

Before anyone says it, our waiting times aren't quite that long
(well they are sometimes :lol: )

[Miniman]

Once of a day you could stick ya arm out for a lift. Nowa days they just drive buy. What is the world coming to. There could have been hurt children in them cars and they just drive on by....there are some sad people out there.

[jjsaul]

When the 110 died on me a couple of weeks ago on wolverhampton ring road i had been there less than 60 seconds when a bloke in a disco pulled in just in front of me, jumped out and asked if i needed a tow.

he promptly got out a tow rope and some shackles and towed me off the ring road to somewhere a bit safer...

top people these land rover types :D

[rokcrawlin]

Most people don't stop because they can't be bothered, but a few -I'm sure- don't because they worry about being sued.

I'm not being daft here, in the Coastguard we used to pull vehicles stuck on beaches etc to safety. We're not supposed now because a suprising number of them put in claims for damage done during the recovery. (Small things like scratches were in there I seem to recall)

(There has to be someone stuck in the vehicle now for us to try anything)

 :roll:

quite a few years ago i was on the south bank in London , i was riding my motor bike along the road and saw a dark guy running down the centre of the road i moved to the left to avoid him and he saw the reflection of my lights and tried to change direction he slipped and fell on the back of his head.
I stopped without any form of contact with the guy got off the bike and went to help him...... to cut a long story short my bike was kept at the scene i was taken down the police station whilst the crash investigation bods checked the scene......they found that there no traces of contact with the guy on it the guy died due to a severing of an artery by a peice of bone that was shattered when his skull came into contact with a cast iron catseye .
I ended up going to the inquest and was accused of running the guy down with the motor bike the family had a barrister there who was out to get compensation for the family..........Unfortunately for him the guy had drunk enough over 3 days to put his blood alcohol level to over 4 times the drink drive limit...............  so being nice can go against you.........even if you are innocently passing and try to help someone in distress and the other thing to remember is to remove your keys from your car so it cannot be swiped whilst you go to someones aid

[simdeb]

we stopped one night  as a man was lying on the floor he was not with it at all we called 999 and stopped with him stated to ask him who ,what ect,
we managed to get out of him he had tried someting that some one had given him at the pub some one fetched his family his sisterwell the language she came out to us with i told her to f**k off and the next time i saw her or her brother in need of help i would give her the same reply she had given us!

[Garth]

I was driving home from work last week when I can across a small hatchback which had broken down on a very large roundabout. The driver had tried to pull onto the island but failed so the rear of his car was sticking out into the traffic waiting to be hit.

So I drove around the roundabout and pulled onto the grass beside him and asked if he wanted pulling off the road, the reply was a very greatfull yes as the AAnonimous breakdown company would be at least an hour.  As we attached tow ropes a police county car pulled up behind with blues on. I explained that I was going to tow the broken down car onto the centre of the roundabout, and the reply was "well hurry up then".

When the vehicle was clear of traffic we detached tow ropes and I asked if the police car would "shield me" back onto the rush hour traffic which was building up on the roundabout and the reply was "well if you are quick".

It wasn't till I had driven away that I thought "hang on I had done that policeman a favor" he would have been sitting there for a least an hour.  

Did I get any thanks? Did I s***

[laser_jock99]

Most people don't stop because they can't be bothered, but a few -I'm sure- don't because they worry about being sued.

I'm not being daft here, in the Coastguard we used to pull vehicles stuck on beaches etc to safety. We're not supposed now because a suprising number of them put in claims for damage done during the recovery. (Small things like scratches were in there I seem to recall)

(There has to be someone stuck in the vehicle now for us to try anything)

 :roll:

A friend of mines Toyota Supra slid into the ditch and a passing Discovery owner pulled him out. Trouble is he put the tow strop around the Supra's suspension and did more more way more damage than was already done. Cost well over £1000 to fix I think! Some people might have sued the 'good Samaritan'. I've been pulled out of the ditch by a passing 4x4- bt made damn sure we both used good strong points for the job.....

[Carroll]

Fair comment about sensible recovery points, but a small car up to its axles on a beach doesn't have any. Something probably will break.

My point is that a certain number of unsavoury characters will use any excuse to try and get some money out of folk. I DO stop and help people where I can, but always feel a little wary of what might transpire afterward. You just have to be careful, and make sure everyone agrees to what's about to be done beforehand.

It is interesting that the police are less likley these days to accept help. I wonder if they've been told to avoid it if possible, or whether they're just more grumpy than in the past?

[Bush Tucker Man]

It is interesting that the police are less likley these days to accept help. I wonder if they've been told to avoid it if possible, or whether they're just more grumpy than in the past?

I don't think it's that they're more grumpy, at least the various Officers I come into contact with are fine.
It's probably more to do with the liability (& possible H&S aspects) if they damage the car (or themselves) undertaking a recovery services role.


I know that has been mentioned as a reason for not stopping/helping, but doesn't the same legal guide-line apply here as in certain American states, ie;
a 'Good Samaritan Clause'
If you offer/give help in an act of good faith, you are essentially immune (well, not immune, but not liable) in the case of a claim against you???

Are there any legal bods out there can answer this???

[littlepow]

We have been told at work, that if we stop to administer first aid within the boundary of our training then we are covered by the 'Good Samaritan Clause'.

As to recovering vehicles,

I came back to work on after Christmas and found a disco stuck in the middle of a round about where two main roads meet. I stopped and offered help in recovering it out of the road and into a little tarmac area. Guy was pleased to receive the offer as a Police 4x4 had driven passed and refused to help due to his vehicles weight. Stating that X5's can only tow below 1.5 tonnes. His breakdown company had given the usual within the hour response. So I moved his car for him, then the police returned and threaten to arrest me for moving a vehicle that now a police aware road hazard!
Later got an apology from the Police and a thank you for offering help.
The officer was upset as he had driven over a hour to get his Disco there.

[TimM]

....... liability ....... H&S aspects........ as a reason for not stopping/helping

In some foreign countries is a legal requirement for you to stop at an accident and give whatever help you can (this is why it is a requirement to carry a first aid box).

[colintandy]

im afraid im one of them people who does stop and will administer first aid if required no matter how little help you can offer someone even just to reasure them all is under control  can make a difference
one day it could be myself or a close family member that needs help
i carry first aid kit and yes i know how to administer first aid
i would rather go to court than look in the mirror every day knowing i turned my back on some one who needed help but it is wise to take training learn basic skills in first aid and most of all do not panic take controll

[TimM]

i carry first aid kit and yes i know how to administer first aid

I carry first aid, but DON'T know how to use it, before you all say - "get some training", I know that I should, but I stuggle to find time to allocate to it.

I regulary feel guity about this (not every day but every so often), but at least (he says trying to feel better!) I will stop, and will try to do what I can - nomatter how little it is, a little help is better than no help.

As you said Colin, one day it could be me who needs it!