Will you or won't you help?

[Panda]

In our day and age it seems like we are bombarded by "real" TV programming. Whether it be those caught on tape shows or reality TV programs. It seems we can't get enough of this voyeuristic habit of "just watching" events unfold. It's all the excitement of watching a "train wreck" without leaving the comfort of your living room sofa. Now what would you do if a situation occurred in front of you? Would you stop to help? Pretend it isn't going on and ignore it? Or would you just stand on the sidelines and watch it all unfold?

I know much of a situation would depend on what was actually going on. I am going to list a few events and would like to know what you would do in that particular situation and why you would do the actions you decided upon.

-Lone toddler crying in a shopping mall.
-First person at the scene of a car accident.
-Person drowning.
-Obviously upset person running down the street.
-Injured animal.

The last part of my question is have you ever been in a situation where you had to make the decision of helping or not? What did you do and how did it turn out?

Now to answer my own questions!

-[b]Lone toddler crying in a shopping mall.[/b]
I would enter the nearest store and ask someone to call for mall security to help. I would then go out to the child and try to comfort them. I wouldn't try moving the kid since I would be afraid that people would think I am kidnapping the child and I am the reason the kid is crying!

-[b]First person at the scene of a car accident.[/b]
I would first get on my cell phone and call for help. I would then go to see if there are injured people in the car. I would tell them help is on the way and not to worry. I would not move anyone unless let's say the car was on fire. I would stay with the people until help arrived. First do no harm. I wouldn't do anything to make the situation worse for those involved.

-[b]Person drowning.[/b]
I would definitely call for help first. Then I would try to find something to the person to help get them out of the water without getting in the water myself. I am not a strong swimmer so there is no way I would jump in the water to help since all I would do is become a second drowning person!

-[b]Obviously upset person running down the street.[/b]
I would call for the police from some place safe. I don't know if this person is the victim of a crime, insane or on drugs. There is no way I am going to take the chance of getting hurt by some crazy person!

-[b]Injured animal.[/b]
This last one ties in with a real life situation I was involved in. I would definitely stop to help. One day when I was driving down the highway there was some traffic moving really slowly. I first thought maybe it was a stalled car since people were driving so slowly. As I got closer I notice there was a large group of kids watching from the housing area near the highway. I then had the terrible though a kid got hit on the highway! As I drove around I saw an injured Pit Bull on the road and 3 cars stopped with the drivers out looking at the dog. I pulled over to help. Apparently one of the drivers had hit the dog and her kids are in her car just screaming. I went over to examine the dog (who had no collar and tags) and she was a very sweet dog. The others who had stopped didn't want to touch her since she was a Pit Bull who, unfortunately, have a very bad reputation for being mean. One of the other drivers who stopped had a pick-up truck and I asked him to drive the dog to the veterinary clinic I worked at. I picked up the dog and put her in the back of the truck. She didn't even wimper, she was a tough cookie.

Then the driver who hit the dog, the guy who has the dog and myself all go to the clinic. We patched the dog up who basically had some cuts but no broken bones. The woman who hit the dog was so happy I had stopped and her kids all gave me hugs. It was great. I am just glad the guy with the truck was willing to go out of his way to help. The end of the story is a good one too. After the dog was well enough to leave our care she went to the humane society and the woman who hit her adopted her!

I have training dealing with injured animals so this was like a day in the office. It was pretty exciting to actually help "out in the field". This was definitely one of the highlights of my life. I really felt like I made a difference.

Well, there you go, my responses to my own questions. Now I want to know what you would do? Would you help or will you just walk on by?

[wrist cutter]

Interesting topic.

[b]Lone toddler crying in a shopping mall.[/b]
I can't imagine being caught in this situation where I am the only one able to help the child. But in the event I was, I probably wouldn't pick up the child or approach him or anything. Because I'm a male I'd be arrested on the spot for predatory behavior. But I might contact a nearby store clerk if no one else is doing anything.

[b]First person at the scene of a car accident.[/b]
I take it you mean a single car accident (not a collision)? If it's late at night and it's possible for me to safely stop I might. If they're clearly in need of help (waving their arms, or stuck underneath an overturned car or something) I'll definitely try to help, though there's probably not much I could do. At the very least I could get to the nearest phone and call for an ambulance.

[b]Person drowning.[/b]
As with the toddler example, I can't imagine where I'd be the only one available to help a drowning victim. I'd probably let someone more capable take care of the situation.

[b]Obviously upset person running down the street.[/b]
Not my problem, unless they run right out in front of my car.

[b]Injured animal.[/b]
Who cares. I'd let 'em die, or stay injured, or whatever. I can't imagine a rabbit ever doing anything for me if [i]I[/i] were injured.

[Sara]

[color=#4b4b79]I'm such a softhearted meddler.

-[b]Lone toddler crying in a shopping mall.[/b]
My first reaction would be to go over to the kid and try to cheer him up/comfort him. I have a lot of experience with little kids (that sounds lame, I know, but it's true.) If he's alone, he's probably crying because he lost his parents--I'd look around for any likely candidates, then I'd probably coax the kid along to the lost and found (heh), and page the mall for...I dunno, distressed parents? I'd stay there until the parents showed up, because the last thing a scared, lost kid needs is to be abandoned by another person.

-[b]First person at the scene of a car accident.[/b]
I'd try to figure out how serious things are--is anyone hurt/trapped? I don't have a cell phone, so I'd probably run (or drive, if I'm in the truck) to the nearest building, explain, and phone for help.

-[b]Person drowning.[/b]
I would run for help. I can't swim, so there's nothing else I can do.

-[b]Obviously upset person running down the street.[/b]
Well, after reading Panda's reaction, I feel a little foolhardy--but my first thought would be to try and help them. Hopefully I'm thinking straigt and woudl call the police, but unless they ask me to stay on the line and avoid the person or something, the next thing I would do is call out to the person. If they're upset, if something's wrong, I woudl do anything I can to help.

-[b]Injured animal.[/b]
I don't know anything about animal care, except not to touch them when they're eating or hurt--I would go to the nearest place with a likely phone and call the...I don't know what it's called, but there's a place that deals with injured animals. I'd stick around, hovering and useless, until they got there, heh...

One of the angriest moments of my life involves an injured bird. For some reason, there was a red tailed hawk (or another, similar bird) on the side of the road. It was stunned, or something--very much alive. My family and I were out hunting about for rummage sales, and saw a truck pulled over, and the bird in front of it.

We stopped and got out--talked with the people who were there. I don't know if they'd hit the bird originally or had just seen it and pullled over, but they had called the above mentioned place, and help was apparently on the way.

I remember watching the bird--it was so big, and just [i]powerful[/i]. I'd never thought birds were particularly beautiful, but this one just captivated me. It would try to fly--it couldn't. It just sat there on the road, this big predatory bird with so much raw power in it, broken and frustrated on the shoulder of the road.

The people who had been parked in front of the bird went and moved their truck... We couldn't do anything else (there was almost a crowd on the side of the road now, heh) so we were walking back to our truck.

This big pick-up came speeding down the road--I looked back towards it--the driver saw the bird, [i]swerved onto the shoulder, and hit it.[/i]

I can't even begin to express how angry and hurt that made me.

killing me softly,
Sara[/color]

[Ezekiel]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue][SIZE=1]Nice idea, Panda, makes me realise that these type things aren't just on TV.

[B]-Lone toddler crying in a shopping mall.[/B]
First I'd probably make sure if it was really alone or if it's parents were just out of sight. If I was with friends I seriously doubt I'd do anything about it, maybe go find a policeman/woman or a shop attendant and warn them about it. Though, to be perfectly honest, I'd probably keep on walking, the parents should be there.

[B]-First person at the scene of a car accident.[/B]
Well, at this age I wouldn't be able to do much, not realistically. Ideally I would do all I could to help them, if it was safe for me as well, that is. Though the most I could do at this age would be to call the police or an ambulance, or at least check to see if the people were stable and offer support.

[B]-Person drowning.[/B]
If it were a busy beach I would get a lifeguard or someone who looked like a strong swimmer. If it was pretty deserted then I'd go in myself, South Africa at least taught me how to save a drowning person so I would be able to get them to shore, though I seriously doubt I'd be able to give them SPR. I'd call and ambulance ASAP.

[B]-Obviously upset person running down the street.[/B]
Let them pass, unless they hit me in the process. I'd probably yell at them if they done that...yeah, I may be insensitive in that aspect, but it's not my life and asking a stranger what's wrong wouldn't help as there's a good chance they wouldn't tell me anyway.

[B]-Injured animal.[/B]
Depends on how injured, where and what animal, really, I'm not sure how to comment on this.

Well, that's me, I guess at this age I can't put myself in these situations so well, so sorry if my replies seem less than substantial.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Drix D'Zanth]

This is a great topic Panda! Could we (or you) extrapolate on the idea a bit and add a few more situations? This is a pretty fun read!

-[b]Lone toddler crying in a shopping mall.[/b]
Awww! I would go over and ask the poor kid where his parents are. You never really know if they could be five feet away from him, just momentarily distracted. I would then have information/managment page the parents.

-[b]First person at the scene of a car accident.[/b]
I was in this situation last fall. First, I didn't have a cell phone, luckily another bystander called 9-11. The accident wasn't very bad, except for one guy who suffered pretty blunt trauma to his head. I wasn't getting anything from the guy (vitals, that is). I yelled for a few other bystanders, and we got some of the people out of the car (which had swerved and hit a tree in the median). I was worried the car was catching on fire, as smoke continued to grow around the car. I started CPR on the driver and the ambulance arrived a couple minutes later. I knew the paramedic and he assisted me with the guy. We managed to stabilize him and get him to the hospital. Everyone else was just bruised with minor lacerations from broken glass. This was really coincidental, I had just gotten off of work not a few minutes ago.

-[b]Person drowning.[/b]
This one's easy. Shout for help, swim out and assist. I had to learn how to do rescue swimming when I took lessons, and we did a special course over it during my First Aid cert. I was planning on being a lifeguard until I got a job at the hospital.

-[b]Obviously upset person running down the street.[/b]
I'm not sure, I suppose it depends on the situation. If it's a younger kid, well.. I don't think I'd just go appraoching kids. If it were an adult, I would probably leave him be. I guess it depends on what kind of "upset" he seems to be in. Thrashing wildly? The cops would be called. Crying his eyes out? Uh.. well I guess nothing should prevent him from jogging off the frustration.

-[b]Injured animal.[/b]
I've got a sore spot for animals. I remember "saving" animals as a kid. Finding a mole stranded on a street. My family found a baby robin and nursed it back to health ^_^. Recently my biology class went to our feild station when studying phylogeny and a baby squirrel approached us. It was incredible, just making these squeeking noises and staring at us. It was smaller than both of my hands and looked somewhat emaciated. Biology professors have the same sore spot as I do, and he's actually being cared for in the science center right now! I forgot what they named him, but he's our mascot ;). I should go visit him/her. It was pretty cool to see nature so unafraid of a big-bad human.

[Chaos]

Lone toddler crying in a shopping mall.

Wouldn't help, I'm sorry to say. I could walk past and not think another moment on it. I hate little kids, and their crying hurts my ears. Sad as it is, I think I'd be able to just keep on past. Hell, knowing me, I'd tell him to stop with the damn noise. *shrug*

First person at the scene of a car accident.

Call for help. I've been in enough incidents with cars and I know just how dangerous they can be. I'd either use my cell, or if by some unholy miracle I don't have it on me, I took a few first aid and survivalist training courses when I was younger. As long as there wasn't any immediate danger, I'd most likely go off to find a phone and report the accident. Just depends on where the accident is at, since most backwoods roads don't have payphones. x.x;

Person drowning.

Give a shout, first of all, so that anyone around will try and send for help, then probably jump on out to be a dashing hero. Why not, I say. I can swim pretty well, even fully clothed [I know because I hopped a neighbor's fence one time and didn't look first, among other things], so I'd be pretty confident I could at least hold the person up while the paramedics came about.

Obviously upset person running down the street.

Turn the other way on this one. I see some lunatic/raving person running full speed in my direction, I don't want any part of it. Either the person's crazy, on drugs, or being chased by someone/thing. Crazies are just annoying, so I'd avoid them anyway. People on drugs rarely use any form of thought [which explains a lot of my friends. XD], and when someone hauls *** away from something, you don't exactly want to stop and chat about it.

Injured animal.

I'm probably the one that injured it. >_>;

Eh, depends on the animal. If it weighs three times or more than I do [i.e., bear], I'm not going within fifty feet of it. If it's a domesticated animal, I might try something. Except cats. I'll let them die in agony. Cats and hamsters. They can both rot in hell.

P.S. The only reality show worth watching is Drawn Together. All else just sucks.

[Anne]

[SIZE=1]Great topic.

[B]-Lone toddler crying in a shopping mall.[/B]
Well I have actually had this happen to me before. It was while I was working at an outlet mall. I was at the register when the kid came up to the counter. I offer the kids a sticker (I always had sticker or sometimes candy for the kids that came into the store. Though I would only give the candy with the parent permission.) I look around I didn't se any parents with the kid. So I ask her where her Mom and Dad where. She just started crying. My Manger looked around the computer she was working at me and mouthed "Need any help?? I shook my head no and I went around to the Kid. I crouched down and ask if she was alone and she nodded her head yes. I picked her up and put her n the counter and offered her a tissue. Running into the backroom for a second I went into my locker. I had some toys inside there, just ones from fast food place but I thought what kid doesn't like toys. After I got her calmed I asked her name and called security and told them we had a lost child. It turns out her parents left her there on purpose.

[B]-First person at the scene of a car accident.[/B]
Well I have been in this situation, too. It happened while my family and I was at a campground. We had the second site from he road; some other people we knew had the spot right there. The road the campground is located on has a turn and it's very hard to see around. The person who was driving the car was drunk and hit a tree. When we heard the crash my Mom and me where right out the door. As we went past the first camper we pounded on the neighbors window to wake them up, they are very sound sleepers. My Mom was on her cell phone and calling 911. I had gotten the door open to the car and seen the guy was still alive, but the car was on fire. When of the other members that had arrived sent me to go get a fire extinguisher. Eventually more people came about and I was sent back into the camper to calm my little sister down.

If I were to see another car accident again I would do all I could to help the person(s) that have been injured. My first reaction would be to call for some help and than help the people inside the car.

[B]-Person drowning.[/B]
Well I would have to go find someone else to help the person. I don't know how to swim so I don't think I would be much help to the person drowning.

[B]-Obviously upset person running down the street.[/B]
I would go to the other side of the street. I don't think I would be willing to help just a random person running down the street. You would never know what they did or if they had drugs or if it was just a break up. If hit me while they where running I would probably yell at them, too.

[B]-Injured animal.[/B]
Anyone knows that with me I do help any animal. I am a huge animal fan and I think more times that I enjoy the company of animal more than humans. I couple of times I have been clawed and even bitten help an injured animal. The animal shelter in my town knows me by my voice because I call them so many times about different animals.

Though right know I am very upset with myself. While was walking home from my train station I saw a cat just sitting in the middle of the road. Cars where going past it and blowing their horn, at it and it wasn't moving. It was clearly alive it was just sitting there cleaning it paws. I hit my friend and said look at the kitty. She was like Oh no poor Kitty. I was going to take it out of the road but I was very tired and had just spent four hours in class and another six hours in the library waiting for my friend to get out of her class so I just wanted to go home. I feel very guilty just leaving it there and I hope nothing to it. I would very sad if anything did.
[/size]

[Manic Webb]

[b]Lone toddler crying in a shopping mall.[/b]
Back when I used to do mall surveys, I saw quite a few kids get separated from their parents. However, it was usually just a case of a kid getting distracted by something and stopping while their parents kept walking. I always looked around to see if their parents were nearby, and they always were. If the parents were nowhere to be found, however, I'd walk into a nearby store and tell them to call security for a lost child. I wouldn't approach the toddler, however, since I don't want to risk anyone thinking I'm kidnapping anyone.

[b]First person at the scene of a car accident.[/b]
I'd walk to the car and ask if anyone has called 911. If not, I'd call them, myself. After that, I couldn't really do anything. I'm not trained in any sort of first aid, EMT, or anything that could really help them out. I know enough that I should attempt anything that could possibly cause more injury.

[b]Person drowning.[/b]
I take to the water like a duck. And by that, I mean I like to tread water on the surface. I don't know how to rescue a drowning victim (I never got that far in my lessons), so I'd either look for something they could grab onto (rope, a branch, oar, or a vine if I happen to be in a rainforest), or call for help, or both.

[b]Obviously upset person running down the street.[/b]
I'd step aside so they don't run into me. Then I'd look behind them to see if they're running from something dangerous (another angry person, gunfire, alien invasion, volcano in towndown Los Angeles, ect.)

[b]Injured animal.[/b]
Seeing as there's nothing I could really do for the animal (I have no experience in dealing with animals), I'd probably either walk away or 411 the animals services to come get it. Also, I'd have to keep in mind that touching the animal could cause it to lash out at me.

[Retribution]

[B]-Lone toddler crying in a shopping mall:[/B] If their parents weren't around, I would call Information, and ask them to page the parents. Really not much to this one.

[B]-First person at the scene of a car accident:[/B] I would check to see if they were alright. If they weren't I'd call 911 with my celly. If they weren't incapacitated, I'd call a tow-truck to get the car off the road.

[B]-Person drowning:[/B] Scream for someone else to help them. If there was truly no-one else around, I would take off my shoes and other clothing so that I could swim faster to save them. I'm not really a strong swimmer, so all that weight would only bog me down.

[B]-Obviously upset person running down the street:[/B] Let them go. If they were attacking people or something, I'd call the cops on that sorry case so fast... Moving on...

[B]-Injured animal:[/B] Probably just feel sorry for it, see if someone would help. If not, call someone. It really depends on the animal. If it were a cat or a dog, I'd try to help it... but if it were a bird, I might keep going. This one, I don't know. I suppose I'd try to help it as best I could.

[Panda]

Well I am happy you guys enjoyed this post. It's been a while since I started a thread of my own. Your responses have been very interesting to read. I purposely left the situations vague so you can decide what the details would be. Like the drowning person. You can choose the age of the victim (adult, teenager or child) and the location (pool, canal, river, lake, ocean) of the drowning. I will leave the details to those responding.

Since Drix requested a few more situations, I have added a few more in this post. Feel free to respond or add more situations to the thread. It has been great fun reading how everyone would react in these situations.

-[b]Elderly person having trouble crossing a busy street.[/b]
-[b]Person shoplifting.[/b]
-[b]Smoke coming from the upper windows of an apartment building.[/b]
-[b]Drunk fumbling to get his car keys into the door of his car.[/b]

Now for my responses!

-[b]Elderly person having trouble crossing a busy street.[/b]
I would offer to help them across the street. If they accept, I will assist. If they don't want my help I would leave them be. I have worked with many older people and some get very offended if you "pamper" them.

-[b]Person shoplifting.[/b]
I would report them to the store staff. I was at a grocery store one evening when I see 2 kids near the coloring books and toys. They were shoving as much as they could grab down their pants and under their shirts! One of my friends was working there at the time and I went to him. I know the kids were taken to the office but other than that I don't know what all happened.

-[b]Smoke coming from the upper windows of an apartment building.[/b]
I would call for help and let the professionals deal with it. I would end up causing more trouble than good if I tried to get involved. With my luck I would get everyone out of their apartments only to find out it would be someone burning their dinner on the top floor and it isn't a problem!

-[b]Drunk fumbling to get his car keys into the door of his car.[/b]
I would call for help then try to stop them from getting into their car. If I didn't do anything I know I would totally regret it. They could end up hurting themselves or a bunch of other people. One time there was this guy who came into the vet clinic completely wasted. He actually tripped over this dog in the lobby and then CRAWLED out the front door. He was so drunk he couldn't even stand back up! He wasn't driving so we didn't call the police. Crazy isn't it! Literal fall down drunk.

There you have it, my responses to the new questions. Have fun with this thread, feel free to add more situations for everyone.

[Heaven's Cloud]

[color=indigo]
-[b]Lone toddler crying in a shopping mall.[/b]
Like Wrist Cutter, I doubt I would be a lone person in this situation. If I were I would probably stand near the child then flag someone else down and have the contact Mall Security. I wouldn?t walk out of eye sight of the child and I wouldn?t get within an arm distance of the child so I could avoid any links of physical contact.

-[b]First person at the scene of a car accident.[/b]
It depends. If it was a little fender bender I wouldn?t bat an eye. If it was a bad accident I would find out if the people involved needed help, then I would call the police and jot down both license plate numbers.

-[b]Person drowning.[/b]
I am an incredibly strong swimmer and I used to be a certified life guard, so I guess I would follow the old credo of ?reach, throw, go?. Unless the person was ugly, then I would just let them sink.

-[b]Obviously upset person running down the street.[/b]
I would throw water balloons at them. If they pulled out a gat and went hostile I would then probably wet myself.

-[b]Injured animal.[/b]
Depends what kind of animal it is and it depends how injured it is. If it is obviously someone?s pet then I would probably get it to a vet and contact the owner or at least call animal control. If it was a small animal like a rabbit or a bird, and it looked badly hurt, I would probably just break the poor things neck so it doesn?t suffer.

Edit:

-[b]Elderly person having trouble crossing a busy street.[/b]
Eh, although I would love to say that I would ask them if they needed help, elderly people tend to get real bitchy about needing and wanting help. I guess I would just keep my eye on them to make sure they are okay.

-[b]Person shoplifting.[/b]
Nothing. If I worked at the store I might do something but I really don?t care if someone steals something from a store, although I might rat them out if I don?t like the way they look. I am an elitist, y?know.

-[b]Smoke coming from the upper windows of an apartment building.[/b]
I would go up there and demand that they puff, puff, pass. I swear I have glaucoma officer.

-[b]Drunk fumbling to get his car keys into the door of his car.[/b]
I would sneak up behind the guy and steal his wallet. Hey, he is drunk, he won?t remember the next morning.

[/color]

[Boba Fett]

[color=green]
-[b]Lone toddler crying in a shopping mall.[/b]
I?d ignore the kid. There are tons of people in a mall, and someone would either go get their kid, notify a clerk or a security person, or assist the child in finding his parents/guardian. You can get in a lot of trouble approaching other people?s kids.

-[b]First person at the scene of a car accident.[/b]
I?d call 911 and report the accident. If there were someone who looked in desperate need of help, I would stop and attempt to assist them.

-[b]Person drowning.[/b]
I?m not the strongest swimmer, so I wouldn?t go out there and attempt to rescue the person in danger. I?d attempt to throw them something they could hang onto until help arrived, and probably call for help.

-[b]Obviously upset person running down the street.[/b]
Nothing.

-[b]Injured animal.[/b]
Depends. If it were a bird or something small/wild I wouldn?t do anything. If a larger animal, like a dog or a deer were hurt and seemed to be sticking around in one area, I?d call animal control.

[b]-Elderly person having trouble crossing a busy street.[/b]
Depends on how much trouble and how busy the street. I?d probably help the person to the other side and make sure they were close to home and going to make it there ok.

[b]-Person shoplifting.[/b]
I?d watch and see if they got caught, but if they got away with it I wouldn?t say anything. Not worth the trouble.

[b]-Smoke coming from the upper windows of an apartment building.[/b]
Call 911 and report it, but keep on walking.

[b]-Drunk fumbling to get his car keys into the door of his car.[/b]
Take the keys, unlock the car and then lock the keys in the car. That?ll show the drunk. Besides, he wont be able to go anywhere unless he calls someone, and they?ll know he?s drunk. No problem for me, safer for him.[/color]

[future girl]

[size=1][b]-Lone toddler crying in a shopping mall.[/b]
This has actually happened to me before in a super market. While there are always tons of people around to help, everyone would just walk by and stare. She was a little girl outside the super market and she was screaming for her mother who was no where in sight. So me and my sister took her inside and as we were heading toward the security officer her mother spotted her. Anyway, my initial reaction when I see a child in any potential danger is to protect it over my own life. I think it's because I've been raising my nephews since I was ten and could never bare to lose any of them.

[b]-First person at the scene of a car accident.[/b]
I'd check to see if everyone was okay and then call 9-1-1 and stay there until the police and/or paramedics got there. If a person's in danger the 9-1-1 operator will give you instructions on how to help the person in the accident. My sister who is a 9-1-1 operator and fire dispatcher says a lot of people tend to call and do nothing, it makes her rather angry and wonders why people bother calling at all, if in the end you're just going to let the person die.

[b]-Person drowning.[/b]
I can't swim, so I'd call for help from someone in an immediate distance who could pull him out and the paramedics as well. Most people are reluctant to help in this situation as well, though. A couple of months ago my friends threw a party for me at a park, Christine and Karina were there early decorating. This man went into the lake and tried to drown himself, Karina says the park was FULL of people, a football team even, and no one jumped in so she did while Christine called 9-1-1.

[b]-Obviously upset person running down the street.[/b]
I wouldn't do anything, unless the person was threatening to kill themselves or someone else. In that case, I'd call 9-1-1.

[b]-Injured animal.[/b]
I guess I'd call that place that takes care of animals and wait around until someone got there. I wouldn't know what else to do, but I doubt I could just watch something die.

[b]-Elderly person having trouble crossing a busy street.[/b]
Nothing. I'm the type of horrible person that doesn't like old people lol.

[b]-Person shoplifting.[/b]
Nothing again, unless I owned the store. I'm no snitch.

[b]-Smoke coming from the upper windows of an apartment building.[/b]
Call Rescue and wait around spectating.

[b]-Drunk fumbling to get his car keys into the door of his car.[/b]
Nothing, drunk people strike me as unsafe. Maybe I'd say something to someone, but I personally wouldn't approach the person.[/size]

[PWNED]

Lone toddler crying in shooping mall- I probarbly wouldn't do anything because not my kid and not me, Not my problem. If it was my kid (Don't have one yet)or a friends kid then I would take him to an Information booth.

First person at a car accident- I would probarbly ever be picking around the wreckage looking for scalavgable parts but I would also call an ambulance. I would use the DRABC on any person injured in the accident.

Person Drowning- Not trying to be funny but I would be that person that is drowning. I can just barely float in other words let alone swim. If it wasn't me then I would give a shout.

Obvious Upset Person running down street- I wouldn't know how they are upset so I wouldn't be able to help. Couldn't care less unless they are making a scene then I would spectate.

Injured Animal- I would check the animal for broken bones, shattered limbs or other nasty phisical injuries. If it is too far from help or the thing is dying then i would have to let it out of its misery. It would matter if I was close to help.

Elderly person- I would offer my help to them but as it has been stated, They may get offended.

Person Shoplifting- I would do something that would bring people over to where they are. I hate guys that shoplift, Lowest of the low.

Smoke coming from building- I would call 000 then continue walking.

Drunk trying to insert keys into car- I would grab the key, Unlock it for him then piff the keys somewhere and when he goes to get them I lock the car door again.

[Chrono_sm]

-Lone toddler crying in a shopping mall.
I would wait awhile, observing from a distance to make sure that it was a desperate problem instead of the kid not getting a toy from his/her parents. After that I would approach and ask what was wrong. I would then help the kid, as I don't feel it would be anything I couldn't handle.
-First person at the scene of a car accident.
I would dial 911 on a cell phone, if not that a pay phone. If neither of those were visible I would yell for someone to call. After that I would walk up to the victim(s) to see if I could help in any way.
-Person drowning.
I would first scream that someone is drowning. Then I would just dive in and get them. If geographical complications existed that wouldn't allow me to get them to land, then hopefully someone heard my scream. If not then I die a slow, painful death:(
-Obviously upset person running down the street.
Just let them pass by, if they were as upset to run from their problem then my talking to them would not be comprehended well. My action would be different if they were sitting down.
-Injured animal.
If I am doing absolutely nothing at all I may look at it and help it in any way possible (get it away from predator, free from trap, remove debris from its wounds.) Chances are that I would leave it alone.
-Elderly person having trouble crossing a busy street.
Just let them cross the street on their own. They wouldn't walk any faster if I was with them nor would my presence direct traffic away. If I saw an oncoming car about to them, and I was in range, I would pull/push them out of the way.
-Person shoplifting.
Alert the shopkeeper, then watch the thief to make sure he couldn't escape when security arrived.
-Smoke coming from the upper windows of an apartment building.
Spectate for a while, then dial 911 if it becomes dangerous.
-Drunk fumbling to get his car keys into the door of his car.
Take his keys and give them to someone who isn't intoxicated in the area, who offers to give them to him when he sobers up or drive him.

[Ezekiel]

[COLOR=Purple][SIZE=1][B]-Elderly person having trouble crossing a busy street.[/B]
I'd definitely help them, if they wanted it, that is. I know quite a few older people who would want to work through these things by themselves, to make them feel as if they still can. I wouldn't want to force help upon someone.

[B]-Person shoplifting.[/B]
Depends on what shop.
[U]Busy Supermarket:[/U]
If no one in charge saw it's there problem, they should be expecting shoplifters and should be more aware of the people in their shop, it would teach them a lesson.

[U]A smaller shop e.g. my local anime/manga store:[/U]
Since not as many people would be around and it would be far simpler to steal form a shop like this, I'd simply thump the offender. No joke, if I could, I would, then I'd hand him/her over to the storeowner.

[B]-Smoke coming from the upper windows of an apartment building.[/B]
If I were feeling particularly stupid then I'd go running in to see if anyone was trapped. Though, most of the time I'm sensible and I'd call the fire department, like many other people would be doing at the same time.

[B]-Drunk fumbling to get his car keys into the door of his car.[/B]
I'd stay as far away as possible. A drunk not being able to get into his car and undoubtedly getting rather angry? No thanks; an angry drunk is a bad drunk. His fault for getting like that anyway.

I have a couple of situations I'd like to put to you all;
[B]-An older person trying to reach something on the top shelf in a store.
-A woman/girl being harassed by a man who seems to be her boyfriend.[/B][/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Hevn]

[B]-Lone toddler crying in a shopping mall.[/B]
I'd stare for a while to see if anyone else would approach the little thing. If not, and I'm with my mom, I'd definitely let my mom do the talking/helping. I'm not really good with hushing up crying kids. They don't seem to understand me, lol.

[B]-First person at the scene of a car accident.[/B]
Definitely will call for help first. I'm sure there'll be people around even in the middle of the night so I'll tell them about it and ask for help.

[B]-Person drowning.[/B]
Shout for help and jump in! I think this is one of those times that I'll feel really useful. XD

[B]-Obviously upset person running down the street.[/B]
Err...nothing really. Maybe hide. I'm far too scared with commotions like that. >.<

[B]-Injured animal.[/B]
I'd help...with some assistance from other people. I don't think I can take seeing any animal soaked in blood though.

[B]-Elderly person having trouble crossing a busy street.[/B]
I will help of course... if they want.

[B]-Person shoplifting.[/B]
I dunno. I'd probably tell someone who's in charge if I have the chance.

[B]-Smoke coming from the upper windows of an apartment building.[/B]
Call for help! Call for anyone! FIIIIRRE!!!! >.>;;

[B]-Drunk fumbling to get his car keys into the door of his car.[/B]
*is scared of drunken people*

[B]-An older person trying to reach something on the top shelf in a store.[/B]
Err... I'll ask someone to help. I'ma bit small to reach that high >.>

[B]-A woman/girl being harassed by a man who seems to be her boyfriend.[/B]
Oh, right. Now this will depend on what kind of harassment he's doing. I wouldn't deal with this on my own. I should ask some testosterones to do the helping.

But really, I wouldn't know for sure how far I'd go to help in times of unexpected trouble. Who knows... I might do something more... heroic. ^_^;

[Lady_Rin]

[b]Lone toddler crying in a shopping mall.[/b] Or any other child <8.
We ahve all seen this. I go the the child and crouch down to their level and try to talk and comfort them. sitting on the floor makes yo less of a threat to them. Sometimes they want to be held for comfort, I did have one little boy jump into my arms as soon as I sat down. At the same time I call for security or 911, try to get someone else to stop and help. I don't not move from where I am and that is extremely important. Strangely enouigh I have sat there for several minutes unable to get anyone to help. security, the public and I certanly don't see a frantic parent searching for their lost child.A lost child goes back to a post I made here awhile back. "It takes a village..."

[b]First person at the scene of a car accident.[/b]
I am certified First aid and CPR. Ranger is certified EMS level 1. After a call to 911 both of us would perform as laid out in oru training and emergency services manuals. Ranger is much better at this than I am, blood frightens me.

[b]-Person drowning.[/b]
Neither one of us is a strong swimmer. Assuming we are fairly close to one of our truck we could use a piece of rope and toss it to the person in the water. Ranger might tie the rope to himself and swim out then, grab the swimmer and be pulled back.

[b]-Obviously upset person running down the street. [/b]That's too difficult to answer. There are to many variables.

[b]Injured animal[/b] I try to help. I can't stand to see suffering by any of Gods creatures and I try to help if I can.


[b]Elderly person having trouble crossing a busy street[/b] I've done this if I'm going there I help them across. However I should say I see very6 few eklederly where we live who have problems crossing a street.


[b]Person shoplifting[/b] I don't know I've never really seen anyone doing that. It doesn't seem to be a problem here except at Walmart for some reason and I don't go there..

[b]-Smoke coming from the upper windows of an apartment building[/b]. Call 911 immediately. Don't wait, a building can flash in seconds.

[b]Drunk fumbling to get his car keys into the door of his car.[/b] Ranger would place them under arrest and handcuff is necessary. I've seen him do it when someone who is drunk at the Alamo or party and want's to drive home won't surrender the keys. You can do that legally, it is called a citizens arrest. In our state it gives a normal citizen the right to detain someone in caught in a commission of a crime. I would try to talk to them until help arrives.

No I have a question. How many of you aout there have had any kind of emergency training. First aid, adult and infant CPR. With what you said you would do , could you do it without causing further injury or problems.

You should also know that most states have good samaritan(sp) laws that protect you from liability if you respond to help someone and make the situation worse or cause further injury even though all you are trying to do is help.

[Talon]

[color=teal] Hmm...

[b]-Lone toddler crying in a shopping mall:[/b] I'd do my best to calm the child down, then call mall security. Afterwards, I'd search all the nearest shops for the child's parents while making certain it's not taken by anyone but security or the child's parents.

[b]-First person at the scene of a car accident:[/b] I'd get out of my car, call 911, and look for survivors. I'd do my best to help those trapped get more comfortable, and I'd provide as much medical help as five years of boy scout training and ROTC emergency medical knowledge would allow.

[b]-Person drowning:[/b] Screw what I'm wearing, jump in, save the person, bring them back to shore, and provide CPR to expel the water from the lungs.

[b]-Obviously upset person running down the street:[/b] I'd stop them, holding their arm until they've realized they're endangering others and their own well-being, offer to buy them some ice cream or a burger, and if they accept, try to find out what's wrong while providing comfort while not trying to pry into business that's not mine.

[b]-Injured animal:[/b] I'd provide what medical assistance I can, then call the vet. After the vet takes care of it, if it's a stray, I'd adopt it. If it's a wild animal incapable of living in the wild anymore, same story. If it CAN live in the wild, I'll set it free.

[b]-Elderly person having trouble crossing a busy street:[/b] I'd help them across the street, plain as day.

[b]-Person shoplifting:[/b] CQC, knock the shoplifter out, drag the body to the shop, return the goods, and call the police.

[b]-Smoke coming from the upper windows of an apartment building:[/b] Call the fire department, ask the manager of the building if it's normal, then run upstairs to warn the neighbors if it isn't normal.

[b]-Drunk fumbling to get his car keys into the door of his car:[/b] I'd stop him, ask him/her his/her address, and give him a ride to his own place after handing him his keys again, telling him/her not to try to get the car 'til tomorrow or to get a friend to get it for him.

That's just what I'd do, though.[/color]

[elfpirate]

!

-[b]Lone toddler crying in a shopping mall.[/b]
I would find security and have them take the child to the security office while they intercom a "lost child" code.
-[b]First person at the scene of a car accident.[/b]
I would stop to assess the situation, call an ambulance, and then do what I can to help while the ambulance was en-route. (This is the kind of situation where I thrive.)
-[b]Person drowning.[/b]
This one really is vague- is it a child? An adult? In a swimming pool or ocean or river? I guess I'll give a general answer...I would first try to find something for the drowning person to either grab onto or float upon and if that didn't work, I'd have to jump in and attempt a rescue. I'm a pretty strong swimmer after growing up in Hawai'i, so I can't use "weak swimmer" as an excuse not to throw myself into the water.
-[b]Obviously upset person running down the street.[/b]
I would leave them the hell alone, and I'll tell you why: A few years ago, I was driving home from a friend's house in the dead of winter (and at 3am) and I saw this woman- she was dressed only in a short, thin robe...like...silk or something... and she was obviously upset at something other than the -20 degrees air or being barefoot and half-naked in the snow. I thought for a second that I should pick her up before she freezes to death- knowing that we were out in the woods and that there wasn't even a gas station out there for her to go to. But I got a bad feeling about it, and I ended up leaving her out in the cold.
I felt a little guilty about it the next day, but when I woke up two days after seeing her, my mom said" I'm sure glad that you have some intuition" and gave me the local paper...which had a story in it about the very same woman...who was picked up by police 10 minutes after I saw her and charged with the brutal stabbings of her boyfriend and her brother... a crime she had committed about 20 minutes before I saw her on the side of the road. So, if I again saw someone who was upset on the side of the road, you can bet that I won't stop...unless it's a child.
-[b]Injured animal.[/b]
Ha ha. I guess I would do what I can to help, though I was bitten really badly once...doing exactly that... a freaking squirrel bit my finger to the bone... I could see the cartilage in my knuckle...
I love animals, though, so I would definitely help.

[Mamma Vash]

[QUOTE=Panda]
-Lone toddler crying in a shopping mall.
-First person at the scene of a car accident.
-Person drowning.
-Obviously upset person running down the street.
-Injured animal.

The last part of my question is have you ever been in a situation where you had to make the decision of helping or not? What did you do and how did it turn out?

[/QUOTE][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=Indigo][SIZE=2]
[B][U]Lone toddler in mall[/U][/B]: I think I would look about for the adult while keeping my eyes on the child maybe talk to and calm the child, and call security. Never happened to me though

[B][U]first person at the scene of accident[/U][/B] I usually carry a cell phone, so first call for help. Then just stop and see if people are OK. I am trained to do CPR., First Aid, Heimlich This has never happened to me... but there was an incident where I was out at lunch and someone started choking.. this actually happened twice-- once at a restaraunt, once in an office. I did the Heimlich in both instances and it came out OK, but still had someone call 911 while I did it to make sure no other problems. I would not try this without training. The Red Cross does a good job in providing courses.. well worth knowing!

[B][U]obviously upset person running down the street[/U][/B] Step back and call the police -- they could be hurt, intoxicated, psychotic, or in a crisis-- at any rate, the police can bring the needed resources. This is not something to mess with alone!

[B][U]injred animal[/U][/B] I woudl call for help because I know very little about animals. My husband knows alot about animals. My husband found an injured sparrow, and brought him into the house. We took care of it for about a month. That led to me getting a parakeet, and then later 2 parrots. The parrots are 15 yr old.

Sometimes its very scary if you have to take action in a crisis-- but it feels good to be able to help. For me, helping the injured bird with my husband led to a long and happy life with birds!

[Panda]

[QUOTE=Methuselah][COLOR=Purple][SIZE=1]
I have a couple of situations I'd like to put to you all;
[B]-An older person trying to reach something on the top shelf in a store.
-A woman/girl being harassed by a man who seems to be her boyfriend.[/B][/SIZE][/COLOR][/QUOTE]

[b]-An older person trying to reach something on the top shelf in a store.[/b]
I would offer help. I am no the tallest but I can jump and climb! I am only 5'2" tall and my mom will always ask me to reach stuff for her because I am "so tall". What can I say, I come from a family of short people.

[b]-A woman/girl being harassed by a man who seems to be her boyfriend.[/b]
That's a tough one. Many times there are couple who even when fighting will join sides to protect each other. It it turned into something physical then I would call the police and have them sort it out.

Now for Lady_Rin's question about first aid/CPR training. I have been certified in CPR on adults and animals. I have never taken the infant CPR class which I really should go and take. My husband is an EMT and has all of his first aid/first responder certification. I have been very fortunate to never be put into the situation where someone needed my skills (human that is). I have done CPR on animals dozens of times. What I do know is that I don't know it all. First do no harm. I am not going to exceed my skill levels to help someone because it may cause more damage than good.

My state does have a "Good Samaritan" Law but I am not going to test the limits of that. There was a case of a man who came across a single car accident on the highway. I don't remember all the details but here is what I do remember. The driver had been thrown clear (next part is graphic) [spoiler]and he was folded in two at the legs, backwards. The good samaritan "unfolded" the driver since they couldn't stand to see him that way.[/spoiler] The driver lost use of his legs. The debate then turned into: "If he hadn't been moved would he still be able to walk?". I know I wouldn't want to deal with that guilt or doubt.

[color='darkred']Now, to help out those of you who may be having difficulties keeping track of the questions:

[b]-Lone toddler crying in a shopping mall.
-First person at the scene of a car accident.
-Person drowning.
-Obviously upset person running down the street.
-Injured animal.
-Elderly person having trouble crossing a busy street.
-Person shoplifting.
-Smoke coming from the upper windows of an apartment building.
-Drunk fumbling to get his car keys into the door of his car.
-An older person trying to reach something on the top shelf in a store.
-A woman/girl being harassed by a man who seems to be her boyfriend.[/b]

And the separate questions of:

[b]-Have you ever been put into a similar situation?
-Do you have CPR/First Aid training?
-Does your area have a "Good Samaritan Law"?[/b][/color]

Hope I didn't miss anyones questions. If I did PM me and I will edit them in. ^_^

[IceWolfEyes]

Sure are a lot of interesting questions running around. lol.


[B]-Do you have CPR/First Aid training? [/B]

Yup. I am part of an organisation that has a Search and Rescue program. The organisation is called Civil Air Patrol (an official auxilliary of the Air Force). I have been in the SAR program for years. Thus have first aid and trama experiance. The SAR programs' basic job is to find downed airplanes. Since I live in Colorado, most downed aircraft smack into the mountians. The survivers (if any) have really icky wounds. If there was another word for describing it, I don't care. The wounds are often infected and pussing. The person dehydrated and confused, if we get there quick enough, in shock. We always hope to find someone who has at least a 50-50 chance of living, too bad most of them are too far gone to even place bets on.


[B]-Does your area have a "Good Samaritan Law"?[/B]

Yup, a sucky one. Basically, unless you're covered by insurance (like I am), doing more then placing a bandaid on someone will allow them to sue you. It sucks, I know. I have a firend who saw someone with a dislocated pinky finger, so my firend offers to set it right. The injured accepted, and the pinky was rightened. A week later, my firend was informed that he was being sued. The reason? As he set the finger, a nerve was caught underneth. Causing increadable pain, as you can imagine. After the dude went to a docter and had it fixed a second time (involving poping the finger back out and back in...ow) he decided to sue my firend for helping him. Luckily my firend got off. Shouldn't sue people who help ya, makes them less likely to help again in the future.



[B]Lone toddler crying in a shopping mall.[/B]

I would walk to the kid and make them stop crying. Doesn't take much, smile and make weird noises. Then I would take them to an information booth or the nearest police officer. End of responsiblities. Would continue shopping.

[B]-First person at the scene of a car accident.[/B]

First off, would call for help. Second, would see what I can do (if anything) for the injured involved. A lot of times moving an injured person will make it worse. For instance: They could have had a head on collision with an inanimate object, leaving them pinned behind the steering wheel. A peice of metal (or plastic, considering the newer models) has been jabbed into their fleshy bodies. Moving the person could have a few nasty consequences. 1. You make the hole bigger by pulling them sideways. 2. The metal/plastic has torn a major artery and the metal/plastic is the only thing preventing the blood from escaping. If you remove the plastic/metal you revmove the block, thus the person dies from blood loss.

Although, if the car was on fire, I'd take my chances pulling them out. Better to keep them from becoming a crispy critter. Since I usuallly have my first-aid kit (way better goodies in it then the kits you buy at Walmart) I would probably be able to keep the injured's injuries from getting worse.


[B]-Person drowning.[/B]

Duh. First would call for help (or get some lazy butt-head to call for me). Then would remove shoes, blue jeans, and jump in after them. Unless they were in an ocean. I hate the ocean. If they happen to stop breathing, I would just administer CPR until help arrived.


[B]-Obviously upset person running down the street.[/B]

If the person is running down the street, then I see no problems I can help with. Running implys that you are able to take yourself to a hospital. Now, if there was someone else chasing said person, then I would call the cops. They need to do more then bother people going 2 over the speed limit.


[B]-Injured animal.[/B]

If the animal is domesticated (pet, horse, etc...), then I would do what I can. Check for injuries, make sure I can move said animal without doing more damage. If the animal is hostile, then I would take the damage. Superfisial wounds at best. Take to a certified animal care person. Leave; again, responsiblity over.


[B]-Elderly person having trouble crossing a busy street.[/B]

The old are notoriously bad tempered. Esspecially when they think you are pitying/looking down on them. Therefore, I would strike up a conversation and match their pace. Most old people go across on cross walks, so pushing the button would also be a good idea. As long as you don't outright state your intentions, most old people don't take it as a hit to their pride. Plus, when I match to their speed and walk with them, I can prevent an idiot from colliding with the old fart. If only by pushing them (or picking them up) out of the way. The less blood shed, the better.


[B]-Person shoplifting.[/B]

None of my concern. Stores have video servallience for a reason. If they can't hire compatant people to man them, then they should suffer the consequences.


[B]-Smoke coming from the upper windows of an apartment building.[/B]

Call the fire department. Watch to see what's up. If the building really is on fire, then that poses a risk to the surrounding buildings. Warn friends of impending danger if danger exists.


[B]-Drunk fumbling to get his car keys into the door of his car.[/B]

Walk over. Offer assistance. Unlock the door, toss keys in car, relock door, shut door. Then walk away quickly. Some drunks are mean. Merely tossing the keys in some bushes won't allow the drunk enough time to sober up. Now, if the drunk is way too big for me to consider doing this, then I would take down the car's info and call the cops. As a victim of a drunk driver, I'd rather see less of them.


[B]-An older person trying to reach something on the top shelf in a store.[/B]

Personal experience. Shopping not 3 days ago. Saw a lady in one of those moderised chair/carts. Asked if she needed something I could get for her. Canned fruit. Got it for her, walked off. Easy as 1 2 3.


[B]-A woman/girl being harassed by a man who seems to be her boyfriend.[/B]

Call cops, tell them location and situation. As a girl myself, I would rather not get personally involved. Help from a distance is better then none at all.


Sorry for the many spelling errors. Spell check is being funky.

Icewolfeyes

[Cagari]

[COLOR=DarkGreen]Kid crying in mall: I would go over to the kid and try to confort him/her and then carry him/her to the nearest shop so then I can ask a person to help the kid. [/COLOR][COLOR=DarkGreen]First person at the scene of a car accident: I would call help first then go see if anybody is in the car and if there is I would take the person out and lay him down somewhere safe.[/COLOR][COLOR=DarkGreen]Person drowning: I would call for help, then find something the person could hang on to till help arrives. If there's nothing there to help the person I would probably go over to the person, make him/her pass out in some way then carry him/her to safety.[/COLOR][COLOR=DarkGreen]Upset person running down the street: Probably do nothing, since I might upset the person more....probably just pray.[/COLOR][COLOR=DarkGreen]Injured animal: Help the animal to a place of safety if it's in harm's way, then take it to the nearest vet if I can[/COLOR][COLOR=DarkGreen]Old person trying to get across street: Help them if they say yes, do nothing if they say no.[/COLOR][COLOR=DarkGreen]Person shoplifting: I would tell the nearest employee there, but tell him/her to just watch the person and then jump him later on.[/COLOR][COLOR=DarkGreen]Smoke coming from building: I would call for help, then make my way up to make sure if it's a fire[/COLOR][COLOR=DarkGreen]Drunk person trying to get into car: Nothing, cause he might punch me.[/COLOR]

[Cagari]

[COLOR=DarkGreen]Whoops forgot the other things. Ok...If old person needs help getting something: I would help them. Girl getting harassed by a guy: Call the cops. But if they don't get there on time I would probably grab the nearest thing I could use as a weapon and hit the freak. I have not had any medical training...except for the thing you use when you're choking.I don't remember being in any of these situations. If you mean a church and a Christian school, then yes.[/COLOR]