If you read this post, and think I am looking for an attaboy, you 100% missed the point.
The other day I was on my way home after a 10 hour day ‘in the orifice’. The orifice (office) is draining. Not physically, but mentally. I was wiped. And, as much as I love driving, driving in traffic, is the worst. I am north-east bound, getting off Exit 9 of the Northway. The arm pit of traffic. Where Rt 146 crosses Rt9 is always bumper to bumper, 7 or 8 lanes, dead stop during rush hour. Like everyone else sitting at that intersection, I just wanted to get home!
As I sit at the intersection east bound on 146 I look over and a guy is walking west bound on the west bound shoulder. Walking is not accurate. He is stumbling. His feet are dragging, he is swaying side to side, and almost going into traffic on one side, and off the steep shoulder on the other. And he is holding his chest. He is grabbing his chest in the classic “I’m having a heart attack” pose.
I jump on the hands free to dial 911 (I LOVE! my Sync in my new truck) and suddenly, he is down. Laying on the shoulder of the road, 7+ lanes of traffic bumper to bumper, and who do you suppose gets out to help him? NO ONE. Not one person on that side of the road makes any move to help a man laying on the ground.
So, screw this! (yes, for those of you from ‘back in the day’ Wolfie did say something a bit stronger than screw this!) across 2 lanes on my side and 3 lanes of oncoming traffic I force my way. I get in behind the guy and block traffic with my truck and finish talking the dispatcher through the details. By now, the guy is sitting up, and as I finish, he gets up and walks over to my truck. Long story short, I think alcohol was much more in play than his heart was.
But seriously, that doesn’t matter. What matters is, WHAT IN HELL IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE?! How do you watch someone drop and not try to help? Even if that help is nothing more than call 911 and block cars from running over him while he lays there? To be fair, I have no way of knowing if anyone else called 911. But not one, of the hundreds of people at that intersection, pulled over to assist this guy. Why? Some did not notice. Pretty sad, but, people live, work, and drive in a bubble. Some, a small group, probably had somewhere very pressing to be, or had precious cargo (read little kids) and really could not stop. But most didn’t stop, because they don’t want to get involved. Either they don’t care, or they are afraid.
What ever the reason, it SUCKS. Much has changed over the last couple of generations. We are slowly getting more tolerant of different life styles and working towards better human rights. (We do still have a LONG way to go!!) But, over the last couple of generations we have also stopped being involved. We have stopped caring for our neighbors and those in need. We’ve stopped getting involved. We have stopped lending a hand.
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