Aloofness to dying woman arouses controversy

By Wu Jin
0 Comment(s)Print E-mail China.org.cn, June 12, 2017
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A video about a woman knocked down by a taxi that fled from the scene and then hit by a second car killing her triggered shockwaves across the country due to bystanders seen remaining aloof to her plight.

On June 8, a day after the release of the video, the pedestrian crossing where the accident took place is thrust into the limelight. [Photo/www.cyol.com]

On June 8, a day after the release of the video, the pedestrian crossing where the accident took place is thrust into the limelight. [Photo/www.cyol.com]

If they had reacted swiftly to move the woman from the road to safety they might have saved her life, it is being argued.

According to the Weibo (China's equivalent to Twitter) posted by the police from Zhumadian, Henan Province, the drivers accused of being responsible for the tragedy on April 21, remain in custody and compensation has already been paid.

On June 8, a day after the release of the video, the pedestrian crossing where the accident took place was thrust into the limelight as media who visited the spot found the busy road was not covered by any traffic lights.

"The auxiliary police will help control traffic at peak times when schoolchildren are going to or from their classes," explained a local woman surnamed Li. "However, the accident happened when those auxiliary police were off duty."

General public opinion agreed that speeding cars failing to slow down as they approached the crossroads where the pedestrian was trying to cross should be blamed heavily for the accident.

However, there was a split when the question was raised as to whether the bystanders who witnessed the woman being hit twice over a period of five minutes should be condemned for not rendering any help.

"People who witnessed the accident probably thought it was none of their business, and they were reluctant to help because they were afraid of being blackmailed,"said Huang Xu, a faculty member from China University of Geosciences.

China's Good Samaritan society has been affected by a string of blackmail attempts, as the kind-hearted rescuers were falsely accused of being responsible for the fall involving old people after they were being hit by running vehicles while crossing a road. Therefore, any judgments regarding a particular accident cannot always be treated in black or white terms.

According to Feng Jiawei, a reporter from China Transport News, a number of facts revealed from the video camera need to be taken into account before passing judgement on the accident.

"Why did the woman bury her head while she was crossing the road – was she using her smartphone? How did the second car hit the woman without spotting her lying on the road ahead," Feng questioned.

Liang Liang, the deputy president of Hangzhou Taiyi Pan Dian Information and Technologies Co Ltd, said, it was unfair to blame the bystanders for their aloofness.

"It all happened so suddenly, and people who witnessed the accident may not have known the exact way to save the woman's life," he explained.

"I believe the case alone cannot verify the proposition that condemns passers-by for not getting involved." However, Huang Zheng, a businessman in Beijing, said facts speak louder than words.

"It is clear enough that those passers-by, who could have blocked the road, launched a rescue and called the police, failed to render help. I can hardly imagine any other reaction that could be called more aloof."

Li Nan, a reporter from Beijing Review agreed that the witnesses could at least have helped stop the traffic and make an emergency call for a timely rescue.

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