BENGALURU: In yet another incident that makes us question humanity, a teenager in Karnataka bled on the road as people, instead of helping him, chose to take photos and videos on their phones instead. Anwar Ali, 18 was on his cycle on a busy highway when he was first hit and then run over by a state-run bus in Koppal, 380 km from Bengaluru.
"No one came to his help, they were making video and clicking pictures. If someone had cared, my brother could have been saved. More than 15 to 20 minutes were wasted there," his brother Riaz said. Videos were shared across the nation, showing the teen begging for help, surrounded by blood. He was offered no help for a good 25 minutes, before someone took him to a hospital. An eye witness said, "The doctor at the hospital said you've come too late. He's lost a lot of blood. We tried our best. The last thing he wanted to do was speak to his mother but he couldn't."
This happened in Karnataka, the first state to introduce the Good Samaritan and Medical Professionals Bill to encourage people to rush accident victims to hospital within the golden hour. While the bill awaits the assent of the Governor, this is the third social media death this year. On January 28, a policeman died of injuries suffered in a head-on collision on a highway near Mysuru. He would have lived had onlookers helped him instead of taking photos. Before that, a girl called for her mother during her last breaths, following an accident, as people just stood and recorded her on video.
"It is most unfortunate that bystanders did nothing to save the young life and continued shooting pictures. With proper support from bystanders and appropriate medical care during the golden hour, 50 per cent of road accident deaths can be curbed," said Dr Nandakumar Jairam, chairman and medical director, Columbia Asia Hospitals. "Basic life support (BLS) training is crucial and everyone should be proficient in it. BLS techniques provide support to the victim's airways, breathing and cardiac functions."
