Hit-and-run victim left in street without help
A 78-year-old man was struck by a car and left to lie injured in the street as cars and pedestrians went by without rendering aid. The police chief told the Hartford Courant, "We no longer have a moral compass."
Why don't people help?
One witness, Bryant Hayre, told The Hartford Courant he didn't feel comfortable helping Torres, who he said was bleeding and conscious.
Why did I say this phenomenon is interesting? In a CPR listserv I monitor there recently was an in depth discussion on why people don't help. There is also an upcoming session at the Heart Association's ECCU Conference in Las Vegas in July. This session seeks to explore these non-system behavioral issues:
Reshaping the System of Survival for SCA
The Questions
Why after 40 years of enormous energy and resources is the Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) survival rate low, very low—too low? Are we doing the “right” things?
The Pathway
Perhaps we could benefit from a new mindset in which we re-think and re-design how we prepare for and respond to SCA. Perhaps applying system and design thinking strategies from disciplines including management and behavioral science can be a creative and worthwhile pathway to address SCA challenges.
It is an interesting concept. Maybe we could save more people by greater involvement and commitment from the entire EMS system (including the public) than we could from a change in science.
My friends Allan Braslow and Frank Poliafico will be involved in this discussion. I believe it is an important direction and a worthy effort.
I'll end with a question or two. Why do YOU do it? Why do you stop when others won't? Why do you go in when others run away?
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