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Originally Posted by feelgood
But it's hard to tell from the article whether or not she could've done something to help the victims, there may have been enough people trying to do something, somebody must've obviously already called 911 if she didn't.
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When there are accidents in heavily traveled areas I think many times everyone assumes the authorities have been contacted, when in fact no one has called the authorities for exactly this reason. It's similiar to the story I was told as a child regarding people bringing wine to a party...
As for helping.. I would, to an extent yes. I would not try to help someone if they needed help beyond my capabilities/knowledge. I'd certainly contact the authorities immediately so that trained help would arrive, but I don't think I would meddle in things over my head. Unless I am able to properly help someone, I'd rather not be responsible for their death.
Spur of the moment is an entirely different story though. It is easy to sit her in a comfortable environment and say what I would and wouldn't do. Reality is not like that though.
As for flipping out the phone and taking pictures.. It's inappropriate, however rubber necking is nothing new, and viewing tragic situations live is a huge draw for 24 hour news shows and news in general. People love watching others in distress, as there is a grim fascination with it. If the girl filming had been a news reporter there would have been nothing negative said about her filming. Since she isn't, suddenly she is this evil person that is a cold heartless bastard without feelings?
If the girl isn't going to help regardless, why is she judged for whether she continues on uncaringly, or watches, even records the footage? Is everyone that sees an accident obligated to risk their life to help in a situation that is beyond helping? I am not sure. I certainly would hope she would call 911 before starting to record footage of the accident, but if she, like others had assumed it was already called, and doesn't, then in a sense I guess they all could be held partially responsible for the lack of a quick response, if there in fact was one.
Lastly, the cynical side of me worries distantly about lawsuits. If you get in over your head trying to help someone, ultimately fail, and cause them further pain, or even death, I think it is very realistic (especially in America) to expect a lawsuit to arise in the aftermath. It's sad that such consideration must be made, but I'm reminded of the story where a robber entered a home, only to be shot, injured, but not killed, and then suing the homeowner. Another case involved a storeowner being sued by a gunman that had just held up his store, after he shot at him when he turned to flee. It's unfortunate such considerations must be made, but it's also the world we live in lately.