How can people just stand there and watch someone suffer?

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I went to the 4th of July barbecue yesterday with my husband his old boss was having. He has it every year for the 4th of July. Across the street, I saw this car and people were circled around looking in the windows and I asked what was going on and they said this little boy locked a baby in the car. She was crying and the boss's 11 year old son was trying to get her to pull the lock button so the door unlock but she wouldn't do it. Few other people were trying to find ways to get the car door open.

Well mean time when I saw the little girl was suffering because she was sweating, I just went inside because I couldn't watch a child suffer and die of a heat stroke. But Later on I noticed there were more people watching and they were just standing there looking at the car doing nothing while a few people were trying to find ways to get the car door open which was totally different. I don't understand how can people just stand there and watch a child suffer when the inside of the car is hot and the child is suffering. Then I hear she passed out and I noticed the mother wasn't around much simply because she was also too upset to see it. Then I saw the lock smith getting the car door open and someone got the kid out and she looked limped and I was wondering if she was still alive and people were talking about she might have to go to the hospital now. But I heard her cry and I said "She's alive."

So I do not understand how people can stay at the scene and watch a child suffer or another grown up while I can't stay there and see it happening. I didn't want to see a baby dying and watching it die so how could all those people watch her suffer? Even the mother didn't stay around to watch. But of course the police were there also standing there but it's their job. Luckily it wasn't hot out and it was only about 70. I am sure the mother or anyone else would have just broken the car window if it were 95 degrees out and not care if the father of the baby gets upset because the car was more important than his child. He refused to let anyone break his car window or his lock. A few people were pissed about it and I thought, "what a jerk."

Even in 70 degree heat that is a life threatening situation for a child as temperatures in the car can rapidly soar. If the car was in the shade or otherwise out of the sun there would be more time.

You'd think they wouldn't give a damn that the father didn't want his precious car broken into, considering there was a young child, who was obviously suffering in there. And I'd have thought that, as a parent, he wouldn't care about a broken window, as long as his child was OK, because he could have easily paid to have it repaired. That's something I don't understand either.

That's just nuts. The police were there too? The only possible reason I can think of to not break the window is if they couldn't convince the child to move away from the window. I just can't believe a cop would ever honor somebody's request to not break a window. Cops break things all the time to rescue people. Maybe they were worried she'd get hurt worse with a broken window and thought the locksmith could work fast enough.

But honestly, I think they could have figured a way to safely break the window. They could have had somebody distract the girl through one window while somebody came around sneakily to the window on the opposite side and broken that. Or broken the rear windshield or front windshiled- whichever she was farthest away from.

Sometimes you really do have to watch somebody suffer and die, which is absolutely horrible. If somebody has a terminal illness and is already being treated in the hospital, there isn't anything that you can do but watch. But if somebody is in a dangerous situation, property damage should never be a concern and should never stand in the way of or even slow down rescue.

By watching other people try to get the window open and being there while the girl is suffering, they somehow feel they are part of the solution or helping, when actually they are not.

Liability.

No one wanted to break a window in fear of being liable for the damage.

In this country, property is just as important to people as lives, and to some even more important than lives. When American's precious property is at risk they tend to lawyer up in 0.68 seconds flat.

Wrapping a heavy object into a towel and smacking an opposite window from where the baby was would not have sent any shards flying toward her. There are also those car rescue tools with a spring loaded window puncher. They work great.

People who lived comfortable lives are prone to setting their priorities in hazardous situations. There are stories of people being crushed under trains who tried to save their cars rather than walking away with their lives. It's based on habits of mind.

Also, I found a much more extreme story on Youtube, here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoOuzwzP7PY

It's just a guy walking around and talking, but the story is *very* extreme.

WTF!?

But as for the bystanders... I don't see what's wrong with them being there. Some of them may have been concerned and I'm sure all of them wanted to see how things turned out. I'm not judging you for walking away Leaguegirl, it's a normal thing to do too, but I don't see how that helped or was any more moral than hanging around.

You are surprised?

Baby may die. But it probably won't.

Car will get damaged for sure.

That equation seems to favor the car in the minds of many people. How very sad.

Have you ever seen smokers sticking the cancer stick out of a car window to protect the interior from smoke damage and nasty smell? The car is more important to them than their lungs??? Pathetic.

That's horrible...if I was my kid, I'd find a spark plug to shatter the window with.

I very much agree with Kiley, a potentially life threatening situation.

That's where you're got to be prepared to move quickly. It's also a bad sign if the person stops sweating.

'Sir, we can try, but we may need to break a window.'

So, you know which window to go for. You have the tool at hand. You can move quickly.

'Heat stroke can be life threatening.'

'Wow, please place your hand on the window. Feel how hot it is already.'

'If things start to go downhill for the child, they will go downhill quickly.'


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I am not a doctor. I do not know for sure that 'heat stroke can be life threatening.' But, but, socially, that seems like the absolute thing to say, and that seems like the tactical thing to act on for the welfare of the child, and I'm kind of surprised that your husband's former boss didn't intervene (giving him some benefit of the doubt that he's a take-charge guy, etc, etc). And this seems to be where 'normal' people can play to strength, that they can say something and act on it, something which is merely good enough, without having to feel that they have to be so very sure that it's exactly, precisely true.

Maybe try for a couple of minutes, then go for the window.

But if the child starts having any trouble at all . . . Break the F___ing Window!
For Crying Out Loud!! !

If the child is suffering to that point that she is PASSED OUT, window be damned, property rights be damned--failure to allow proper assistance should be a CRIME, and if those parents are refusing the proper measures be taken, there should be some kind of contempt or obstruction or interfering with a crime scene charge, in my opinion.

A women putting her groceries into the car did not see her kid escape its car seat he locked the car doors on accident imprisoning himself in the car in august. The Depew police got there in less than 10 min.and got the car door open in less time than it took for him to get there. He used a plastic wedge that he pinned in the window to move the window back a little then used a metal slim Jim to pop the lock. He told me you can do it with a coat hanger if you push the window back a little. He also told me to never bust out the glass because glass particles could hurt the kid. Only bust it out when you absolutely have to in a life or death situation.