Frankly, I was surprised at the lack of helpfulness ... and more so at the anger and behavior as I was moving the car out of the way.
Rick Mons
Rick (and all):
I'm very sorry to hear about your experience. A similar topic came up once a few years ago and its interesting to hear the very different responses that people have gotten at moments of crisis. I find it very hard to generalize about St. Paulites willingness to help a stranded motorist, because the responses vary so much from incident to incident. I think, that the time of day, the location of the accident, and even the weather can all factor into how people respond to the sight of an accident.
I remember passing an accident near my home about a year ago. As I passed, I noticed that drivers of the cars were both on their cell phones, one of them looked a little emotionally distressed, but physically fine. I followed the cars in front of me, as I maneuvered my way around the accident site.
As I passed and slowly made my way away from the accident, it slowly became clear to me that this accident must have happened only moments before I arrived at the intersection. I also remembered, that other than the drivers, no one else appeared to have stopped.
As I got further away from the accident I began to question whether I should return to the site. I weighed the fact that both parties appeared physically ok and that they both had already made calls for support or help. It was a busy intersection and the weather was fine, so help was available from passing motorists - if there was an emergency. Given the conditions, I even questioned whether or not my interference would be welcomed or simply another distraction. I wasn't sure if I had anything to offer the situation.
In the end, I did not return to the site immediately. HOWEVER, for the next two to three hours, I questioned my actions (rather lack of action) and felt guilty. About 45 minutes later, as I returned home, I drove by the site to see if there was any sign of the accident. There was no sign of the accident, but this provided little comfort.
Anyway, I share this story as some indication of what might have been going through some folks minds as they passed without helping. Of course, this says nothing about those who actually went out of their way to Honk or Curse, which is another issue altogether.
Best wishes,
Tim Erickson Hamline Midway [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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Tim Erickson http://www.politalk.com St. Paul, MN - USA 651-643-0722
[EMAIL PROTECTED] iChat/AIM: stpaultim
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