Accident victims bleed to death on roads: Insensitive onlookers or unawareness about the Good Samaritan Law?

Why do we Indians fail to act as Good Samaritans? Given the recent instances of exhibiting complete insensitivity by people towards individuals seeking desperate help while lying gravely injured on the roads, one suspects neither we have knowledge about the good samaritan law that allows helping people in trouble without fearing for legal or other hassles nor are we sensitive enough as human beings. Or why should we get busy clicking pictures and recording videos on the mobile phones while a badly injured person seeks help to live?

There have been quite a few instances recently where we saw passers-by taking pictures and videos of victims of accidents wreathing in pain and asking for help and eventually dying because of lack of treatment. In fact, two of such instances occurred within a gap of just two days — both in the state of Karnataka. Here we list five such instances from the recent past that will leave every human being on this planet ashamed:

1. Teenager bleeds to death despite appealing for help; onlookers click pictures

On Wednesday (February 1), an 18-year old cyclist was hit and run over by a state bus in Koppal, Karnataka, some 350 kilometres from Bengaluru. The victim, Anwar Ali, was left bleeding profusely on the road for nearly half an hour even as he appealed for help. But the onlookers were busy clicking pictures instead of helping him. Finally, when he was taken to the hospital, Ali was declared dead.

"No one came to his help; they were making videos and clicking pictures. If someone had cared, my brother could have been saved. More than 15 to 20 minutes were wasted," Ali's brother Riaz, was quoted by the Press Trust of India as saying.

Despite Good Samaritan law, nobody came to help an 18-year-old cyclist bleeding on the roads of Karnataka [VIDEOS]

2. Mysuru policeman bleeds to death inside his jeep for an hour after accident

Just two days before Ali's shocking death, a 38-year-old police officer named Mahesh Kumar met a similar fate as nobody came to his rescue despite seeing him lying in a pool of blood inside his mangled jeep following an accident. This time, the spot of the tragedy was in Mysuru, much nearer to Bengaluru and here too, people found taking pictures and recording videos more important that saving the man's life. Kumar succcumbed to his injuries in no time.

3. Karnataka youth split into a half in road accident, yet ignored

On February 17, 2016, 24-year-old Harish, a native of Karegowdanahalli in Tumakuru, also in Karnataka, begged the onlookers for help after a lorry ran over him splitting his body into half. The arrival of the police and ambulance was also hindered by the VVIP movement on the national highway. Harish, however, did not forget his responsibility as a human being even in that state. En route to hospital, he had requested Manjunath, the driver of the ambulance which came to his help, to donate his own eyes. The youth had breathed his last soon after.

4.Delhi man mowed down by a tempo and robbed by a rickshaw-puller

On August 11, 2016, a man was left ignored on a road in Delhi for 90 minutes after getting hit by a reckless tempo. Worse, the man who bled to death eventually, was robbed by a rickshaw-puller who took his mobile phone but did not offer any helping hand.

5. Biker left bleeding to death in Delhi after getting knocked down 

Two-wheeler-borne Vinay Jindal was knocked down by a vehicle on a street in Delhi on July 25, 2015, and ignored by the passers-by for around 10 minutes after which the police were informed. "They simply paused and sped away. By the time the police control room received a call and a PCR van rushed the injured to Hedgewar Hopsital, he was beyond help. Doctors said he died of excessive bleeding. Precious time which could have saved his life was lost because every onlooker turned a blind eye," said a senior police officer. The Jindal family did not forget to donate his eyes at Guru Nanak Hospital after his death.

Such shocking insensitivity continues to rattle us despite efforts made by NGOs like SaveLIFE Foundation which works on road safety. It had played an important role in passing the Good Samaritan Act on March 30, 2016, but still people's insensitivity make the Alis and Kumars meet shocking ends.