MBM Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 (edited) Did issues of VIPness come up? I'm thinking both of the recent case where a party honcho's son hit (and killed?) someone and told the police, "I'm so and so's son". It also reminds me of stories I heard of from a particular country in Eastern Europe, where the police's role at an accident scene was described as figuring out who was more important so they could cite the other driver. In Japan, there was something referred to as "gomen na sai money". This was something given by one driver to another (in a system I'm not totally sure of). Many Americans struggled with this, because in our system, paying the other driver seems to imply either that you are paying them off or that you are admiting guilt. The same happens here in the U.S. but to a lesser degree, I imagine (hope). For example, this past year in Chicago, the former mayor's nephew punched and killed a young man. Hardly any investigation. Nothing came of it, and no doubt the mayor's clout played a role. ETA: It's interesting to read how fault is assigned in different countries. Edited October 19, 2011 by MBM comment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cammie Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 Same here. Whenever we are in a car accident (usually pretty minor since you can't go very fast on bad roads with this traffic!) we are made the bad guys because we have the more expensive car. It can CLEARLY be the other guy's fault and the police (if they show up) will tell us to drop it or to even pay something to the other guy! Very frustrating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BatmansWife Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 I've read two articles this morning that say the little girl is not dead but she is showing very little brain activity. They also stated that the woman who eventually came to her aid has been given a reward by the government. Here's one of them. http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/19/world/asia/china-toddler-rescued/index.html?eref=rss_world So, there is hope that she'll get better....but it doesn't sound like much hope. It seems strange to me that the old lady is called a "hero" and that she "rescued" the little girl. She's called a "Good Samaritan" and has "become an instant symbol of understated decency." In the video...she was the only one that came over to the girl and she did appear to yell. But...she just flopped her and dragged her. It still didn't appear to be any caring concern involved....like the girl was something in the road to clean up. :001_huh: China Hush has an interview with the first driver in their post. Warning: Video and pictures are in the article, the video does not auto-play but still pictures are there. Not to mention all of the other articles if you go browsing the site. They had an amazing series on Pollution in China. Also, not for the faint of heart. Wow. Heartless. Here's the interview, for anyone who doesn't want to go to the site and see pictures: Now Yueyue is still lying in the ICU in a coma. The second driver was arrested soon. But because of the first white van’s plate number can’t be read in the video, the police have called upon witness for help. After the video was shown and the news appeared in media, the first driver called Yueyue’s father saying that he would not turn in himself, but he would agree to give the parent some money. Later a young man who claimed to be the accident driver called the news reporter. However, some of his remarks have made the public even more furious with many accusing him of being a ruthless ‘animal’. Here’s the translation of part of the dialogue. Reporter®: Are you the one who ran over Yueyue? Accident driver (A): I didn’t want that happen either. I’m just a driver. R: Why did you call her father? A: When the accident happened, I was on the phone. R: Why didn’t you stop after running into something? Did you know you had hit somebody? A: I knew I’ve run into a person. I was scared. If you hit somebody, you would ran away too. R: Don’t you have any conscience? Why didn’t you save her? A: I was too scared. I am just a driver. R: How many years have you been driving? Don’t you know hit-and-run is a very severe crime? A: I’ve been driving for 2 years. Who never makes a mistake? As you can see, that kid walked and looked around. If she walked more carefully, how would I run into her? R: Was there any heavy goods on the truck? A: Yes, that’s why I stepped on the gas. R: Now how do you like to deal with this accident? A: I want to offer them some money. But I don’t want to show up. … Later reporter called the accident driver again: R: Do you want to turn yourself in now? A: No. I’ve asked my friend to send my wife and kids over here from Guangxi. I’ll find a job in the construction site where no one knows me. R: You want to hide yourself for the rest of your life? A: I’m scared. I didn’t mean to (run over the girl.) Everybody makes mistake. I have a wife and a 14 year-old kid. Without me, they can’t survive. R: One should be responsible for his own fault. You have kid too, don’t you know how Yueyue’s parent feel? A: so what? … R: How is your feeling now? A: sad..haha R :At this point, you still laugh? A: It’s a bitter smile. You have no idea how much pressure I’m under now. One word-’scared’. I would hide until I couldn’t anymore. I know sometime it take more than a few decades to catch a murder. I’m over 30 year-old now. In 30 years, I might have died. This whole thing would have been forgotten. I know how to deal with the cops. I would shy away from the big cities, just stay in the suburbs and don’t make big money. R: Seeing your kid, wouldn’t that remind you of the little girl you ran over? A: Why should I? She wasn’t even my kid. … R : How would you like to compensate the losses of Yueyue’s family? A: I also have losses myself. I didn’t get my salary. I told my boss there was some emergency in my family and just quit the job. On 17th, The first accident driver was arrested too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 (edited) Laura Edited October 19, 2011 by Laura Corin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meriwether Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 A: I also have losses myself. I didn’t get my salary. I told my boss there was some emergency in my family and just quit the job. On 17th, The first accident driver was arrested too. Okay. That whole interview was bad. Very bad. But this. He equates losing a child with his lost salary.:glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaKim Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 I don't care if it happened in China or on the moon, those people (especially the drivers!) are animals! They have no consciences, no hearts, and one day, they will wish they had no souls!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnaM Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 I havent read the entire thread so sorry if this has already been mentioned And I have been told not to stop and help at accidents or intervene in situations on the street because I could get sued or it could be a scam etc, etc. I live in the US, btw. I don't think it is an uncommon conundrum to be caught in. When I graduated HS I got an EMT license. We were specifically told that while it is a ultimately a personal decision, that we should not stop to help if we were off duty. It is a big liability thing. Im not saying that is right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyrooch Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 (edited) I'd rather be accused of hurting the child than stand back and watch her be ignored like some street rat. I would rather be sued, go to jail, and be tortured, just so I could comfort that sweet little angel in her last minutes of life. My heart aches for her. I can only take comfort in knowing she was not alone, jesus was there comforting her and filing her with love and peace. :iagree: Consequences be ****ed! I would have helped that poor child. I can't even imagine the callousness and evil that would have to be present to be able to just walk by and leave her laying there to die. Let alone the vile person that originally hit her and just kept on going! It is things like this that really make me lose hope in humanity. Over a dozen people saw her there dying in a pool of blood and just kept on walking! I can't even imagine. :confused: It's just sickening!!! May God hold her and keep her now. :angelsad2: Edited October 19, 2011 by mommyrooch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mo2 Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 Regarding watching the video:Just hearing about the incident didn't impact my soul as much as seeing the video. It was horrific but it caused my soul to truly cry out in anguish "Lord have mercy!" for that little girl. Otherwise, it was just another news story of something terrible in the world. Seeing the video reminded me of the extreme value of human life. An article would not have done the same for me. I agree with a pp that those images will be in my head forever and I do not regret that. Hopefully those images will spur me on toward greater service and care for those whom others cast aside. Lord, have mercy. I have to agree with you to some extent. I stated earlier in the thread that the images will never leave my head and that I wished I hadn't watched it. But you're right, *seeing* it made it so much more real than just hearing about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 This has me thinking a lot about how we can learn and teach about acting compassionately. The other day (before this incident) I was discussing how when someone is in a bad situation, we often feel like we should do something, but we don't know what, so in the end we feel relieved that it's usually easy to go about our business, perhaps sending a note to say "you are in my prayers." Yet usually I, at least, feel like there is more I can do. Yet I still don't know exactly what to do. I think this is worth giving a lot more thought (and action) in the future. Hopefully my kids will grow up with a better sense of what they can do for people in need - on a personal, compassionate level. As for this situation in China - I'd guess that the girl probably could have survived being hit once by the first van, but after that driver decided to run over her a second time, she looked pretty far gone. For those who bothered to look at her with any compassion (and there were some), I could see them thinking, "gosh, that little girl is dying right there, poor thing. I certainly can't save her." As for moving her out of the road, that could hurt her further if there were any chance for her to be saved. Stopping traffic until someone could move the child safely sounds like a good idea, but look at how heartless some of the drivers are. So I don't know - I think I would at least stand there near her so nobody else would run her down, and call for help. But then again, I don't know whether help would be forthcoming. What then? The rag picker who did drag her over has been roundly criticized right here, and I feel badly about that. Who knows what was in her heart, but most likely she would not have been able to move the child safely by herself, and nobody was helping her. So her choices were to leave the child there or pull her aside however she best could. Keeping in mind that she is elderly and probably not a medical professional, I'm giving her the benefit of the doubt that she did what she thought best at the time. She probably thought the child was dying but wanted the parents to have a chance to get there before she got run over a few more times. As a matter of fact, it is not unusual for parents to snatch up their hurt children and unintentionally hurt them worse, as our instinct doesn't always coincide with medical wisdom. So while I'm not sure the rag picker is a "hero," at least her actions were what I'd view as human. The person I'm angry at is the first van driver. Even if it was a pure accident, the least he could have done was pull the child out from under before he rode over her again. And yet, look at how matter-of-fact he is about it. "I'm just a driver. Everyone makes mistakes. You'd do the same. Who cares how the parents feel?" Where does that come from? It's scary. He has the same DNA as I have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymilkies Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 I havent read the entire thread so sorry if this has already been mentioned When I graduated HS I got an EMT license. We were specifically told that while it is a ultimately a personal decision, that we should not stop to help if we were off duty. It is a big liability thing. Im not saying that is right. :iagree: We were told the same thing (I am a former EMT & CNA). They said if it's something minor to just keep going because we could get into huge trouble if even something slight happened with us present, even if it happened before we got there, because we would have no proof. Of course, most of our instructors had, in fact, stopped and helped at various times when fronted with an accident or medical emergency. But they did so fully knowing they may be sued and lose their license if the victim was litigious or had major medical bills. I have also stopped to help people who needed medical help. Not major help, mind you, but a call to the ER or a friend, getting them sat down & a drink until someone else could help, etc. I haven't been certified in ages, though, and do this as a good Samaritan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymilkies Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 He wrote about the intrinsic value of every human life precisely because his society as a whole did not value the poor, the disabled, the dispossessed. He was a campaigning writer - trying to change his society. The chimney sweep children, the crossing sweepers and those who were maimed under the looms as they picked up fluff were cheap to society. He thought that was wrong Laura :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meriwether Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 :iagree: We were told the same thing (I am a former EMT & CNA). They said if it's something minor to just keep going because we could get into huge trouble if even something slight happened with us present, even if it happened before we got there, because we would have no proof. Of course, most of our instructors had, in fact, stopped and helped at various times when fronted with an accident or medical emergency. But they did so fully knowing they may be sued and lose their license if the victim was litigious or had major medical bills. I have also stopped to help people who needed medical help. Not major help, mind you, but a call to the ER or a friend, getting them sat down & a drink until someone else could help, etc. I haven't been certified in ages, though, and do this as a good Samaritan. A kid from my high school class was riding a motorcycle and somehow ran into something protruding from the back a of a pickup. I don't remember what it was. Our local family practitioner was the first one on the scene. He saved the kid's life. From what I remember, J would have probably bled out but there were also other emergency measures the doctor took before other help arrived. J spent several months in the hospital before he was well enough to go home. The first thing he did once he was released was sue the doctor. He was awarded 2 million dollars. The town was livid. He was the only family practitioner at the time. He did all the sports physicals at the school for free. He attended the local sporting events so there were be medical personnel there if someone got hurt. He would make house calls and forget to put them on the books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnaM Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 A kid from my high school class was riding a motorcycle and somehow ran into something protruding from the back a of a pickup. I don't remember what it was. Our local family practitioner was the first one on the scene. He saved the kid's life. From what I remember, J would have probably bled out but there were also other emergency measures the doctor took before other help arrived. J spent several months in the hospital before he was well enough to go home. The first thing he did once he was released was sue the doctor. He was awarded 2 million dollars. The town was livid. He was the only family practitioner at the time. He did all the sports physicals at the school for free. He attended the local sporting events so there were be medical personnel there if someone got hurt. He would make house calls and forget to put them on the books. What is more is that those same people would have been livid had they known he was there and didn't stop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymilkies Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 A kid from my high school class was riding a motorcycle and somehow ran into something protruding from the back a of a pickup. I don't remember what it was. Our local family practitioner was the first one on the scene. He saved the kid's life. From what I remember, J would have probably bled out but there were also other emergency measures the doctor took before other help arrived. J spent several months in the hospital before he was well enough to go home. The first thing he did once he was released was sue the doctor. He was awarded 2 million dollars. The town was livid. He was the only family practitioner at the time. He did all the sports physicals at the school for free. He attended the local sporting events so there were be medical personnel there if someone got hurt. He would make house calls and forget to put them on the books. Yup. It's insane how happy many people are to sue, even sue people who saved their lives!!! Our insurance agent told us that her mom even filed a claim on her (the agent's) insurance recently. Her mom took a granddaughter to the agent's daughter's birthday party. There was a bouncy house and apparently she claims that the granddaughter has been having "back pain" since bouncing and wants the agent (her daughter, mind you) to pay for all expenses. Stories like this make me never want to have anyone over at my house ever! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarkacademy Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 A kid from my high school class was riding a motorcycle and somehow ran into something protruding from the back a of a pickup. I don't remember what it was. Our local family practitioner was the first one on the scene. He saved the kid's life. From what I remember, J would have probably bled out but there were also other emergency measures the doctor took before other help arrived. J spent several months in the hospital before he was well enough to go home. The first thing he did once he was released was sue the doctor. He was awarded 2 million dollars. The town was livid. He was the only family practitioner at the time. He did all the sports physicals at the school for free. He attended the local sporting events so there were be medical personnel there if someone got hurt. He would make house calls and forget to put them on the books. That is horrible. The main thing though is why could he do that? That doc saved his life so basically he sued because his life wasn't worth saving. It is stupid of any court that would allow it. I don't get it and I don't understand how a judge would allow that in their court room. Like sueing because the coffee was too hot. I just really want to look at people like that and say "Here's your sign"!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldberry Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 (edited) The suing and legal issues involved with stopping for help are very real, and can ruin people's lives. That said, I would rather know that I did the right thing and have my life ruined, than look at myself in the mirror if I walked away. The doctor mentioned that got sued sounds like the kind of man who probably would have done the same thing even if he knew the outcome. The world is indeed screwed up, and indeed the reality is that people pay and suffer sometimes for doing the right thing...but the one thing we can still control is our own behavior. (Note, I work at a fire station and around many medical first responders. They are instructed the same thing, don't get involved on your own. Most of the ones I know would still never walk away from someone whose life was threatened. And God bless them.) ETA, if you are into Biblical examples, think of Joseph being thrown into prison after he refused to sleep with Potipher's wife. It's a myth that things always "turn out for the best" if you do the right thing (at least in the short term). It just depends how much you value your own integrity, or if you are a believer, your relationship with God. But the hard truth is, in this flawed world, things DO NOT always turn out for the best when you do the right thing. Edited October 19, 2011 by coloradoperkins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HejKatt Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 (edited) Wanted to post another angle over this tragic incident:http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2011-10/20/content_13937288.htm Edited September 11, 2014 by HejKatt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BatmansWife Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 Wanted to post another angle over this tragic incident:http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2011-10/20/content_13937288.htm Excerpt: Yue Yue's parents, who hail from Liaocheng in Shandong province, run a small shop in a Foshan hardware market containing more than 2,000 businesses. "The girl often played alone outside of her parents' shop," said a shop owner who would only state his surname, Du. "At times, her parents would not come back for her for about an hour."Most people who do business here are from other provinces and regions. They don't have time to look after their children while they are doing business." ----------- This story is sad on so many levels, that last statement in particular hurts. :crying: Very sad, indeed. I really just can.not understand how parents can bring their small child, a toddler, to work and then just let them wander off and play anywhere they want.....not checking on her for sometimes an hour?? It sounds like this is quite common there. What are all the parents thinking?? I guess they aren't thinking at all. Unfortunately, it doesn't sound like Yue Yue is going to pull through. :crying: Sounds like the rag lady is having a bit of a hard time with all of this too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 Very sad, indeed. I really just can.not understand how parents can bring their small child, a toddler, to work and then just let them wander off and play anywhere they want.....not checking on her for sometimes an hour?? It sounds like this is quite common there. What are all the parents thinking?? I guess they aren't thinking at all. It is EXTREMELY common in Asia to allow kids to wander like this. I got the feeling travelling there that many families struggle on a day to day basis and making a living IS the top ongoing priority. This is not an excuse - it's horrible. But this would certainly not be at all unusual there. Nepal was worse - we'd have kids following us down the street. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HejKatt Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 It is EXTREMELY common in Asia to allow kids to wander like this. I got the feeling travelling there that many families struggle on a day to day basis and making a living IS the top ongoing priority. This is not an excuse - it's horrible. But this would certainly not be at all unusual there. Nepal was worse - we'd have kids following us down the street. :iagree: I'm speculating here, that these factors are in play: 1. The parents came to the city to work, hence Yue Yue could not be with the grandparents 2. The cost of living in the city is high, childcare would be an additional expense compared to Yue Yue's spending the day at the market (and there would be other kids there to play with too). 3. Unfortunately the city environment is not a safe place for children to play unsupervised, unlike perhaps where the family came from. This is really speculation here, since a) I don't know if they came from the country, and b) I also have this romantic notion from reading pioneer novels that when the parents had to work and leave the children alone the whole day, the environment was basically safe - there may have been hazards, but not as fast moving and ubiquitous as in a city. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 I also have this romantic notion from reading pioneer novels that when the parents had to work and leave the children alone the whole day, the environment was basically safe - there may have been hazards, but not as fast moving and ubiquitous as in a city. ... the number of small children who died after falling into the household fire was enormous. When the dangers disappear I think we tend to forget just how dangerous they were. I can only find this reference to medieval deaths though, not Victorian ones. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3peasinapod Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 B@ST@RDS. Now I need to go run or blow some steam somehow. That was horrible. Exactly. Absolutely agree. That was one of the most horrendous things I have ever seen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca VA Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 The news is saying today that the little girl has died. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 :iagree: I'm speculating here, that these factors are in play: 1. The parents came to the city to work, hence Yue Yue could not be with the grandparents 2. The cost of living in the city is high, childcare would be an additional expense compared to Yue Yue's spending the day at the market (and there would be other kids there to play with too). 3. Unfortunately the city environment is not a safe place for children to play unsupervised, unlike perhaps where the family came from. This is really speculation here, since a) I don't know if they came from the country, and b) I also have this romantic notion from reading pioneer novels that when the parents had to work and leave the children alone the whole day, the environment was basically safe - there may have been hazards, but not as fast moving and ubiquitous as in a city. I thought one of the news stories said that the mom had just picked the little girl up from preschool and left her briefly to go pick something up before heading home. My guess is that the girl was taught to stay in a safe place and look out for cars, but the mom overestimated her maturity. Yes, the mom is going to feel guilty forever, but so do many parents in every country, because kids surprise us and accidents happen. I would also note that the place where she was walking was obviously frequented by pedestrians and slow-moving vehicles; the fast-moving van was the exception, at least during that time period. Seems to me that if you're driving through what is basically a shopping mall, it's up to the driver to watch out for little people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perry Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 I hope every person including the person filming is haunted by her till their dieing day. No one was filming. It was captured on a surveillance tape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 No country and farm life was and continues to be a very dangerous place for children. They get burnt, cut, bitten, large animals or tractors can run over them or tip over onto them, they fall into creeks, rivers, wells, and community "toilets" (a deep sewer type hole they squat over. It's rather common for toddlers being potty trained to fall in and drown in it.) Country does not equal safer. It's just a different danger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindyz Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 I don't know if anyone has posted this update article yet, but the woman who first came over to help the little girl has been forced to leave her home and town after neighbors and others have harassed her saying she did it for fame and money. :( http://the-diplomat.com/china-power/2011/10/20/chen-xianmei%E2%80%99s-tragedy/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BatmansWife Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 The news is saying today that the little girl has died. Poor little Yue Yue. :crying: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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