What would you do?????

RMK Junky

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I've seen my fair share over the years but only once where I was first on scene. A drunk driver that passed out, crossed the highway and hit an approach. Fortunately for him and me as well there was a bus load of volunteer fire fighters that had seen it also and stopped. Many vehicles slowed but kept going. The fire fighters took charge, I stepped back and gave a statement to police then carried on my way. That following spring I recieved a court summons because the guy was fighting the charges. He got off due to a technicality and it was thrown out. I think people are scared to help. They're not trained for what they are about to commit to. I've had my first aid for years but haven't yet put it to the test. Good Samaritan Law / Doctrine protects you and me trying to do the right thing. Highest regards to you and your fellow workers for taking care of a situation that very well could have been so very very bad. I salute you sir ... :beer:
 

frock

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you have a good point there as that happened to my daughter a year ago going up towards Big White in Kelowna a guy laying down beside his car so she slowed down and debated whether to stop or not when at the last moment her eye caught another guy hiding in the bushes. She reported to the police and apparently they had tried this a couple other times as well. Sad but true.


You know what justice would be here? A carload of "citizens" driving up to Big White, coming upon these douchebags, realizing what was up and doling out some "don't try this again" reminders.
 

Highfly

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Good on you Frock.
Your story brought back a bad memory I had a long time ago when I came across an accident after dropping my then girl friend/now wife off at home. Single car accident, wet road, lots of horse power and an unexperienced driver (I'll explain how I know this later). The car was on its roof down an embankment along an orchard (I lived in Kelowna at the time). Was late at night, actually early morning. I actually had missed the car on the way up but seen it on the way back down from Black Mountain. I hadn't passed any cars either direction. I didn't have a cell phone. I had to make a quick decision to drive into town (only a few KM's away) to call it in. I came back, was one car stopped at the scene. A girl was half out of the car and was wanting to move. We covered her and said not to and help was on the way. I asked how many were in the car, she said three. Rescue was quick to respond. I relayed info to them that I had and helped as much as I could. They took care of the girl right away as the others were trying to get into the car. The front part of the roof was hitting the hood so it was hard to see in the front of the car. They finally got the door open and pulled a second person out. I thought he was dead but he woke up and started to fight them. They didn't seem to be in any rush to help the third person in the car... Once they took the second person away they did a T.O.D and called the coroner. I watched as the coroner put the body in the bag. His head fell to the side and I thought I saw teeth coming out of his mouth with a massive amount of blood. I helped carry the bag up the bank.
I found out the next day the deceased was my uncles girl friends brother. I didn't recognize him at the sceen..... His older brother had just finished building him a performance motor.
It didn't seem to bother me at the time, guess the adrenaline was pumping but after I was messed up. It took me a long time to get over that night.

I hope I never come across anything like that again....... But it wont stop me from stopping and helping if I do.
 

enis750

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wow thats an incredible story ... in that situation, id say ur pretty much a hero
a newborn too? man oh man, that poor lady ....

im gonna be honest and will probably get flamed for it, but im not 100% sure i would have stopped
i guess id have to be in the situation at that exact time, and see what my gut was telling me
a lot of variables can come in to play in these situations, and some of the stories here:

-like the dudes laying on the ground and a guy in the bush
-lawsuit etc etc

I was driving downtown this summer and witnessed what i thought was going to be a homocide

Gist of the story:
-waiting at the lights to turn left
-dude punches another dude in the face, and then proceeds to curb stomp him (yes, just llike off American History X)
-then looks around and runs away
-I followed him for about a block and he saw he doing this
-I called my buddy who is a city cop and I could hear his CB in the background talking about this incident
-I told him i witnessed it and he took down what I saw

good thing there was at least 10 other witnesses, as this took place in the middle of the afternoon
afterwards i found out the dude who did the curb stomping was associated w one of the gangs here and it was all over a drug deal gone bad
my buddy asked me if i wanted to be a witness and stand up in court - H E L L no i didnt
lets just say our converstion never happenned .....

i know its a little different situation, but did i think about helping dude on the ground ... yep ....
but also saw 10 other peepes there
I was more worried about finding the guy who did it .... funny how your instincts kick in and its go time

in the end, im glad i didnt find him, as it could have turned out pretty bad for me
 
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Trukker

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I have too many bad memories on the road to reflect back on this topic but to Frock cudo's for stopping and doing what you did and I would have done the same !
 

Murminator

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You did the right thing by stopping and offering help but "most" times not always wise to move the people involved especially trapped people they can have underlying injuries that can do more damage if moved. Stop offer help, calling help keep warm, confort..etc moving severly injured or unconscious should be left to professionals unless there is direct danger to life... fire, in water, no vital signs, heavy bleeding.

I do alot of accident recoveries I have helped bag bodies help carry them had to lift trucks and dig under them to see if there is more and the biggest pizz off is the people that fly by in inclimate conditions flashing lights pylons 1/2 dozen vehicles sitting on the road signs for 1/2km in both directions and yet idiots fly through with an iphone hanging out the window to video it. i can almost imagine how many videos i'm in. Near Nojack 2 years ago pumping liquid dynamite out of a trailer on it's site in a raging snow storm and fancy yellow pete nicely done up came flying through the work area and a tow truck driver standing doing traffic control through a 5 gal pail at him shattering his grill he didn't even slow down cops chased down the truck we never did hear what happened and neither did the tow truck driver....so remember SLOW DOWN !!!!!
 

motomike450r

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I have and will always stop to help anyone in an accident situation. I will stop for other situations ie: stuck in snow, hood up engine issues, flat tire change as I generally have a decent tool kit with me. I will do this with a few exceptions; If it looks like I will get killed or the people involved look too sketchy.
 

white6

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I know first hand the appreciation of having a fellow driver stop for you. 2x actually lol

1) 17yrs old, january, friday night fort mac traffic down the highway, minus 20's, pitch black. Me and my brothers gf (now wife) are in her sunfire, hit a piece of what must of been steel on the highway (neither of us seen it) and got a flat. Well needless to say we've never changed a tire, especially w a scissor jack.. no flashlights, tools, even real winter jackets mitts etc in the car(<-- young and dumb i know). im using 1 cell phone as a flashlight, the other to talk to my dad trying to get through this, and she's on the side of the highway trying to flag someone down. She's quite a pretty little thing and I kept yellin at her to not get so close to the highway w/ it being winter and so busy but finally 1-2 trucks pulled over. Couldn't believe it took so long. I mean it was bumper to bumper lights in both directions. Uknown to me til a later time the guys we think were all drunk (she ran to truck and it reeked like a bottle of booze) but they changed the tire for us and we made it eventually.

2) 18yrs old, xmas eve morning, driving to work. Guy wont move into the slow lane so i change lanes on pure black ice, lose it, and roll my lifted truck into the ditch (frozen snowbanks the height of my 35's), so icy the cops fell out of their pickup trucks, and yes I know there was def driver errors invovled. When it all stops its pitch black and I have no idea if im on the road, off the road, whats goin on. I'm on the driver side and standing across my 2500HD i cant lift open the passenger door, cant find my phone, starting to get panicky. The guy in front of me didn't stop at all, and it was a guy about 1-2km behind me and seen me hit the ditch who stopped and helped me out. Sat me in his car, I called my dad and waited for him to arrive, and he left once I was safely in my dads truck. If anyones been up to fort mac, you know the volume of traffic that goes out to the sites.. sad only 1 car stopped. But I am soo grateful to that man.

Needless to say I've been rescued more than I have rescued others. I travel alone a lot (female) and most individuals I see on the shoulder are males, not the most trusting looking ones. I know im stereotyping but its true. I have never not slowed for an accident, and have had the intent to stop when then noticing there are already 3 cars pulled over. I also am not up to date on my first aid which makes me nervous. But I know neither of my above excuses are very solid. I will make an attempt to help others more. Be more trusting of others.

Just want to say thanks to frock and all the others out there who do take the time to stop for others. You are an angel in time of need for the many people you have aided.
 

eclipse1966

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I fully agree!

I forgot this story as well and it was on the news about 2-3 years ago. A friend of a friend (I know him somewhat) was going home from working out of town (he works for hydro as a lines man). Anyway, car on the side of the highway and noticed someone laying on the steering wheel. He gets out to check it out. On the other side of the car a guy comes out with a gun and tells him to get into his car and he jumps into the passenger seat. Apparently they drive for hours when he eventually tells him to take a side road outside of Kamloops. Instructs him to stop lifts his gun to shot him in the head. Click goes the gun not once but three times. NO BULLETS!!! By buddies friend realizing what was taking place literally kicks the living ch!t out of this guy. Last time I heard he was paralyzed and in jail from the beating. Cant imagine!!!!


You know what justice would be here? A carload of "citizens" driving up to Big White, coming upon these douchebags, realizing what was up and doling out some "don't try this again" reminders.
 

rubirose

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good on you Frock. I was once sued for helping remove a young lady from a wreck after they discovered she had a broken back. it was thrown out due to the "good samaritan act" and has definitely had an effect on me and my thinking about helping in an accident scene. because I am now aware, if it happens again I can be found negligent. but if it was a situation such as you came across involving children, no threat of judgement would ever stop me from doing what I could to help.

You will not be charged for helping someone in need if they end up more injured or something, Like you said the good samaritan act saves you, unless you were truly careless. But if you are in good faith and to the best of your abilities trying to help, no issue. I took and advanced first aid course 1 1/2 years ago because of work and that topic was brought up.
 

sweld

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You will not be charged for helping someone in need if they end up more injured or something, Like you said the good samaritan act saves you, unless you were truly careless. But if you are in good faith and to the best of your abilities trying to help, no issue. I took and advanced first aid course 1 1/2 years ago because of work and that topic was brought up.

Rule #1 in first aid. If they are conscious u have to ask if they want your help. If they deny walk away. If they are unconscious it is Implied that they want your help
 

teeroy

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You will not be charged for helping someone in need if they end up more injured or something, Like you said the good samaritan act saves you, unless you were truly careless. But if you are in good faith and to the best of your abilities trying to help, no issue. I took and advanced first aid course 1 1/2 years ago because of work and that topic was brought up.
I wasn't charged with anything, got served papers 6 months after the fact. had to get a lawyer, blah blah blah....scared the fawk out of a 19 year old kid, tell you what...
 

SledMamma

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A very scary incident a few years back: poor guy stopped to help and got shot in the face by an arrow. The shooter was released from a psychiatric facility and later charged with attempted murder in Ontario...

"Gielzecki was released from the psychiatric facility in Port Coquitlam in January 2007, after he was placed there following a strange shooting of a man who had stopped to offer him help on highway 97 north on September 24th, 2003.

Paul Serup was returning to Prince George when he came upon a truck overturned in the ditch on the highway about 12 kilometres south of Chetwynd. When Serup pulled over to help he was shot by Gielzecki who was wielding a bow and arrow. Serup was struck in the face with the arrow, which entered just under Serup’s lower lip, cutting through his throat and exiting through his neck.

Serup was able to pull the arrow out, and get himself to hospital in Chetwynd, to seek medical attention.

The matter saw further light when Victims Services in the B.C. at first said they would not pay for Serup to have his jaw and teeth replaced at a cost of $15,000 dollars. It was only after considerable public attention that the government moved to offer the financial assistance to Serup."

Original article: http://www.opinion250.com/blog/view/11286/3/man+who+shot+paul+serup+,+charged+with+attempted+murder
 

Timber_12

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Good on you Frock!

I always slow down going past accidents, will stop if it's an accident and it looks like I can be of help, and I have quite often stopped to help people out changing tires/vehicle problems. But to be honest as time goes by, I honestly don't feel near as bulletproof as I used to and that's having an impact on me wanting to stop. Just 3 months ago (if that) coming home from work with my helper we stopped to try to help a couple guys get their spare tire down off their truck and make sure they had a phone, and I gotta say I was freakin worried big time about getting jumped. I've never seen as sketchy of guys before and every csi/criminal minds show I watch makes me more and more sketched out about helping. Turned out they were christian boys but they honestly looked like they were out of the alabama back country and the only time I felt good was after we had left.
 

frock

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A very scary incident a few years back: poor guy stopped to help and got shot in the face by an arrow. The shooter was released from a psychiatric facility and later charged with attempted murder in Ontario...

"Gielzecki was released from the psychiatric facility in Port Coquitlam in January 2007, after he was placed there following a strange shooting of a man who had stopped to offer him help on highway 97 north on September 24th, 2003.


Paul Serup was returning to Prince George when he came upon a truck overturned in the ditch on the highway about 12 kilometres south of Chetwynd. When Serup pulled over to help he was shot by Gielzecki who was wielding a bow and arrow. Serup was struck in the face with the arrow, which entered just under Serup’s lower lip, cutting through his throat and exiting through his neck.

Serup was able to pull the arrow out, and get himself to hospital in Chetwynd, to seek medical attention.

The matter saw further light when Victims Services in the B.C. at first said they would not pay for Serup to have his jaw and teeth replaced at a cost of $15,000 dollars. It was only after considerable public attention that the government moved to offer the financial assistance to Serup."

Original article: Man Who Shot Paul Serup , Charged With Attempted Murder



I remember this Sledmamma. It happened 10 minutes from my doorstep. An example of the perils of stopping to help someone. Man was and is very unstable and obviously should never have been released from the psych hospital in 2007.
 

winterax

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Pretty informative thread and really makes one think twice when pulling over to help someone. My work requires me to drive ( alone ) remote roads in all kinds of weather and at all times of the day. A lot of it is out of cell phone range ( we had sat radios in the trucks, the brand we had were junk ). There have been times when I've pulled over to help someone stuck just to find out they're stoned out of their skulls and I get out of there as fast as I can.

The company I work for hasn't really adressed the problem other than say "assess the situation and react as you see fit". About 25 years ago a friend of mine was with the Edmonton Ambulance and he was telling me that there were places in Edmonton that they would not get out of the ambulance until the police arrived. He had also mentioned they had some sort of training what to watch out for in certain situations i.e. crowd getting rambuncous, people approaching certain ways etc.
Does anybody know of anyone that offers some type of training how to deal with situations or offer tips what to watch out for if you get yourself into something like this ? Not looking for a self defence course.
 

Trukker

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There was also a Trucker a few years back just North of Valemont that pulled over to help a sole person in need of assistance that was struck from behind with a blunt metal object and left on the road . Some little pricks stole his money and left him there to die.
 
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