A Lost Chance at Being Humane

Driving down the street on a mild sunny day, I felt a sense of inner peace. I had just cashed a royalty check from one of my real estate books. I had just freed my car from the auto repair shop, with a new set of front brakes. I had just left work and I didn’t feel like going straight home, so I chose to cruise around town and see the sights.

I always enjoy riding around the city. My neighborhood has been in the process of a renaissance. There was a new health care center and pharmacy built in the square. New housing, complete with parking and landscaping, was intermingled with affordable apartment buildings, nationally known brand name shops, and mom and pop stores. The city was in a modern revitalization - Boston at its best.

After a long, quiet ride around town, I was close to ready to go home. I stopped for a red light just ahead of my street. There were three cars ahead of me, but I could still see what was happening ahead.

A man standing at the bus stop on the corner suddenly fell off the sidewalk. He hit the street face down and stayed down. He was an elderly man who appeared to be in his seventies. He wore a dungaree jacket, jeans, and a black cap. He had a gray and white beard that contrasted with his dark hue. He kept trying to lift himself up off the street. He was able to get up on his knees but fell time after time.

Waiting at the red light, I was certain the people in the other three cars ahead of me would stop and help him out. Unfortunately, they zoomed past the person laying in the street gutter. None of the cars were going to stop. It was after work, and people clearly were in too much of a hurry to stop and be a Good Samaritan. I turned over where the elderly man was laying. I turned on my emergency lights and walked toward him.

As I got closer, I saw his sad condition. He had blood on his forehead from the fall, and a cut on his hand. A bottle of whiskey was broken and spilled on the street next to him. He was disheveled. His clothes were filthy. His eyes were glazed over and he was clearly intoxicated. His knuckles were bloody, I surmised he needed medical attention,

He continued trying to lift himself off the street, I tried to help him by grabbing his right arm. His dead weight was more than I could handle. He kept slipping back on the ground, I felt helpless trying to get him back on his feet. I felt frustrated. It was rush hour, and no one would stop to assist me,

I struggled with the elderly, intoxicated man for a good fifteen minutes. Cars on both sides of the street whizzed past. A car full of men stopped at the red light across the street. The driver rolled down his window and yelled at me. "Lady, don't touch him!". As the car full of men drove off laughing. I shook my head.

A few minutes later, two women stopped their car in front of me. One woman told me she had called an ambulance. I was grateful because my cell phone was being charged. I felt better knowing that help would arrive soon. I informed the elderly man still on the ground that help was coming. He said something back, but he was too incoherent for me to understand what he was saying.

A young woman peeped at us from around the corner. She then approached me as I stood over my ward and asked if I needed help. When I said yes, she stated that she saw a police car down the street at a gas station. She then went to where a police officer had parked to watch the rush hour traffic.

The police officer walked over to the intoxicated man on the ground. The officer observed the broken liquor bottle on the ground. He calmly leaned down and said "Have a little too much to drink. buddy?" The senior citizen replied "Yeah, I think so".

The officer called for an ambulance. That call must have awakened something in the poor soul on the ground. All of a sudden, he was able to lift himself up to a sitting position. The officer told me that he would stay with the man until the ambulance arrived. I thanked the police officer, got in my car and left the scene, as did everyone else.

At home, it troubled me that so many people passed us by. There was a lot of rush-hour traffic. Cars slowed down and passengers.in the cars stared and laughed at us. But for the efforts of three women, a police officer and myself, I doubt if this troubled man would have gotten the help he needed.

He was somebody's son, maybe someone's father or grandfather. He was alone. and was caught in an undignified position. By his looks, I guessed he probably had few families or friends that cared for him. The people in every car that passed him by, condemned him or had written him off as being a stumble down drunk. A person not worth anyone's time or attention.

I'm glad I stopped to help. I would do it again. Regardless of whether or not he was intoxicated. he had fallen down and was in the street. He was injured and needed assistance.

Those of you who passed by a man lying in a street gutter. who laughed rather than helped. who stared at him. rather than realize that he was in distress.is not humane,

Those of you who thought that you dodged a bullet by not getting involved. is not a humane thought process,

It's always better to mind your own business in these types of situations, right? That isn't always true. In this case, what all of you did was lose a chance to be humane.