Quite Sad

**Loveless** · 10-19-2011, 05:17 PM

Yesterday I saw a video posted on Facebook, which some of you may have already seen, that was beyond horrifying. It also gives you an array of mixed feelings on the subject.

There was a video of a toddler wandering the marketplace lost when a truck strikes her. The first wheel goes over her and stops. The driver pauses while the wheel is still on the child then runs off.

For the next 10 minutes or so (but what probably seemed like several lifetimes) you can see the girl moving. Even in the low quality black and white video footage you can see the blood. Passerbys just look at the child and keep walking. No different than should you have come across roadkill. Then a second truck, even bigger, comes by and runs over her again. This driver also runs off.

After awhile an older lady sees the girl. Moves her to the side of the road and seemingly runs for help. Her mother finally finds her, grabs her and runs off out of camera range.

The reason why no one stopped and helped? In past cases when a good samaritan stopped to help another they were sued for helping; blamed that they were the ones that injured the person who was in need. That has now stopped people from aiding those in need. Even a small child who is bleeding on the streets.

Here's an article with a bit more detail on the story.

I don't think you can blame all of China or call Chinese people heartless. Those who do these sort of acts (or lack there of in this case) stand out and in turn, as unfortunate as it is, become "representatives" of the country.

You can sort of see why someone would hesitate to help for they may be blamed for the incident. And to think that there are witnesses who would even try to back that up as well. So it gives you this odd, digusting feeling.

Krowley · 10-19-2011, 07:35 PM

She's sadly Brain dead now...
I've been hit by cars but never run over...
And even after a car hit me, they honked their horn and told me to move.

The world is cruel...

**Vasu** · 10-19-2011, 07:41 PM

I really don't quite know if anything has horrified me this much, short of hearing of the Holocaust. I haven't seen that video, and I have to thank you for the heads up, if someone shares it, I'm not going to click on that link.

I am not a boastful person, but I can honestly and frankly say that I would not have walked by. I have previously stayed back and helped people involved in accidents, and I would have done the same here. I wonder what possessed the truck driver into crushing her again under his rear tires. The death sentence seems to easy for people like him...

I sincerely hope that the child does not suffer any lifelong health problems or disfigurations, though it seems unlikely that she would escape unscathed. Apathy, truly a horrible thing, more horrible in many ways than the original accident. The truck driver atleast has a reason, if a cowardly and despicable one for wanting to walk away from the incident, but the people? 19 of them? However absurd the laws may be about accidents in China, you would think 1 out of 19 of them would stop and give a shit. Appalling.

As a side note, I wonder who was taking the video... Was it a fixed camera?

**Yosei** · 10-19-2011, 08:08 PM

I wish I hadn't seen it the video D: the one I saw earlier didn't spare the details in the video. I ended up covering my eyes when I saw the truck driving over her.

There may be slight cultural differences but I doubt this should reflect China as a whole. I've heard a lot of excuses:

1. The crowd effect where no one does anything because there's someone else around and they assume someone else will take care of it.
2. In Chinese culture, work is of high priority and sadly this man valued his job more than the child.
3. Classic case of hit and run. He realized what he did and took off.

Still it does not excuse him and the driver after that and those who saw the little girl lying around in her own pool of blood who chose to do nothing. I couldn't just walk away from her. I just couldn't. I'd stay by that child's side until I saw that she got the care she needed, even if I didn't know her.

There's also the sad fact that a lot of people don't value children as much as adults. They haven't lived long, they aren't contributing to society, so what if they get hurt and die? No loss for society. Definitely not saying this is what I believe. I had an experience with this earlier. I was talking to someone about an incident with my family and saving a baby and all I got was "So? It's none of your business. It's just a baby and its not yours."

**MikeyG** · 10-19-2011, 10:07 PM

I'm quite disgusted. Wouldn't we expect that same help if we were in the injured persons position ? Compassion should be shown in situations like those, and it's a real sad answer when there is non.

I remember just before summer ended we were on our way camping, 5 vehicles full of people, and we noticed a car completely in the ditch on the freeway. It was super dangerous out; pissing rain, oil rising out of the roads and @ night time, but we pulled over ... directed traffic, stood a foot away from semi's going 140KM/H to help this girl and call/wait for 911 to get there ... all because we hope that if in the persons position, others would do it for you.

This story in China is a sad showcase of people's ability to be selfish as can be.

**Loveless** · 10-19-2011, 10:10 PM

@Vasu: It was a surveillance/security camera. Not sure how they got the footage out of it to be posted but yeah.

I seriously hope it wasn't an actual person recording because then that's just sick.

@Yosei: I suppose it is hard to understand when you grow up in different cultures how another works.

A person's life shouldn't be put on a scale. Especially ones who could be saved.

**MikeyG** · 10-19-2011, 10:15 PM

Quote:

A person's life shouldn't be put on a scale. Especially ones who could be saved.

I whole heartedly agree.

**Hessah** · 10-19-2011, 11:38 PM

The worst part of it all is, if someone was to help the girl, they could be blamed, even if you're just the person calling for police, you never know if the police would lay charges on you just because they can.

In this case, it probably wouldn't happen because there's a footage to prove that you didn't run the girl over, but those passerbys would not know that at the time.

And I'd think that there's many dying baby / children, especially girls, people probably just end up shutting it all out.

But even though this is quite an extreme case in China, the lack of sympathy is across many developed nations.

Just this morning my boss was telling me about an incident on the train. A woman had her bag on her seat, and an elderly gentleman, dressed in suits said "may I have a seat please?" (How much more polite can you get?)

And the woman yelled back at him "DON'T YOU DARE TELL ME WHAT I SHOULD DO WITH MY BAG!"

And did anyone intervene? No. Because people are worried that they'll get themselves hurt.