About 11:00 this morning, I decided to go across the street to get some brunch. Stepping off the curb, I misstepped and sprained my ankle. So, I'm sitting on the curb, in real pain, and I realize, I can't get up on my own. So, I see this couple walking by, at which point the woman and I have the following exchange: Me: Excuse me, could you do me a favor? Her: No, thank you. Me: It's just that I fell and I think I sprained my ankle, I just need a hand up. Her: I don't want to get involved. And ... on they walk into the coffee shop where I was headed. Next person along is nice enough to help me stand up, and (because I was really hungry), I limped across to the shop. I end up in line behind the woman. Because I'm a regular there, all the counter people ask me how my day is going. I explained that, it started ok, but then I fell and I'm really hurting. At that point, the woman turns to me and says again, "I'm sorry, but I simply don't care to get involved in things like that." I said nothing, but all I could think was "LIKE WHAT?? Helping someone who is injured off the friggin ground?" OK ... I've complained. Thank you for the time any of you spent reading this. I'm limping, but mobile and I'll survive.

:) I understand completely the need to complain. I'll be praying for your ankle today, if that's alright. big hug!

Ricky..human beings are brutal... you survived this.. smile...:) I have a friend who was on a trip to this sea side place (goa..very famous in India)...with his wife in a car. His five yr old son stayed home. Time..nite. A tourist bus crashed into the car.. he mmanaged to drag his wife out..called at the passengers to get a dr..no one bothered..they walked away. Didn't care to get involved..as the woman told you. His wife died in his arms at that moment. Yup.. what to do? We have to live with pple like this..get along, and hope we are not like this..

First off, I'm sorry about your ankle, it's bad when you have an injury that keeps you from something as essential as walking, but man oh man. I can't stand when people don't have enough common courtesy to do something that's not even going to take more than a tiny bit of effort. We all deal with people like that, and it's no fun. Sorry about your fall! I'd have said to myself, "Just laugh it off Cory, laugh it off man!!!" :-)

This sort of thing happened to me once before. Again, I stepped off the rotten curb the wrong way, fell flat on my face and broke my foot. I'm lying in the driveway of my condo complex, bleeding from my head, and half passed out from the pain, when this woman walks up to me and says "Excuse me, but can you tell me where the resident's directory is for this complex?" Me, polite as ever ... I reply "Yes, it's right over there (and point)" ... then I really did pass out from the pain. The security guard found me lying there a few minutes later, bleeding all over the place. Now, THAT one I laughed about. Even though the physical pain was far worse, the fact that the woman was so incredibly oblivious just struck me as hilarious. This one I had trouble laughing about. There is something about that "I don't want to get involved" garbage attitude that just chaps my hide.

Sorry about your ankle and hope you feel better soon. Some folks seem to live in a universe until themselves.

Sorry to hear about your ankle! I hope you heal up soon. I can't defend that woman's attitude, but I think that a lot of people have that reaction to responding to a plea or request for help because of fear of a possible lawsuit. I do believe in a law of Universal reciprocity however. Someday, somehow, that woman may find herself in a similar jam only to find that noone will help her. It is a sad statement about life in the world today. Anyway, here's a hug to make things better.

I dont understand whats going through a persons mind to be that, er, butthole-ish. Even little things that people refuse to do, not because they are lazy, but because it wont benefit them, really pisses me off. as grinder said, they live in their own world. okay, i guess i cant really say from 'experience" as i'm not in the "real world" yet (whatever that is) but i seriously see my school contributing to that attitude. they basically say "worry about your schoolwork, and nothing else, so you can be an awesome rich person when you grow up" because everyone wants money right. then everyone is in this mindset to only worry about themselves. anyways, well, if you ever fall again, call any of us brycers and we'll come help you up:)

Thankfully, I've only had run ins with nice people. I'm sorry to hear about your experiences. While I could never perform medical procedures at an accident I've stopped at several and given use of my cell phone and just plain hoped that I could be of some use. I certainly would hope that I would have helped someone stand back up. Especially if they explained to me what had happened to them. There are good people, don't lose faith. But geez, I can't believe your luck. Take care of that ankle, hope it heals up real fast.

After reading this... I have decided not to get involved. Oh wait I am Vile not Rude!!! I am glad you are ok and have a lesson of why I do not like the sheeple!

Put your feet up girl, take a nice hot drink, and think pleasant thoughts. 8) Sorry you had this accident Ricky and so sad that you had to experience the inhumanity of man/woman. There really is no accounting for some people and their lack of humanity. Maybe it's part of US culture, regarding getting involved in a lawsuit, 'cos here in the UK I've never heard of anyone being so mean to anyone who's in need, then again we don't have those kind of lawsuits. I do hope you heal quickly and are up and running in no time at all. hugs 8) Catlin

Kind of makes you wonder where has common decency, courtesy, compassion, respect and kindness has gone. Seems almost like the basic core of human existence has shriveled to a meaningless nothing. I find this kind of human reaction pathetic and despicable, and its a hard pill to swallow. I dont blame you at all for complaining you have every right to. Wrap that ankle up and stay off your feet for a little while if possible. The important thing now is to heal up as fast as possible. In the meantime maybe you can have that coffee shop deliver while you mend.

Well.... that B**** didn't want to get involved and was right there physically able to help you.... But we here around the globe are more willing to try to help you feel better than she was to help you up. Hmmm... strange thing how self serving the people of this planet have become.... except for the select few that seem to have found their way to this forum. Ummm... maybe I shouldn't have gotten involved in this kind of thing. Lol. J/K Hope your ankle heals fast ricky. I will say a prayer for you. 8) Wade

Sorry to hear you've damaged your ankle, but it will mend right quick I'm sure, sending a little magic your way..... As for the woman, she will soon find herself in the same situtation with no help at hand, and she will learn a brutal lesson as well, that you reap what you sow. Sending a little magic her way too..... Be well, and think positive thoughts, there is balance in the world....SMB

Next time look right back at them and say, "That's alright, I'm a loan officer at the bank. When you come in to refinance your house I'll be sure not to get involved." Good manners are the grease that keeps the wheels of civilization from grinding to a halt. No one gets through life without needing help from someone else at some time or another. Be comforted by the fact that you live where the very next person who came along helped. I've been picked up, and picked up my share of people like you. I've also let jerks step off the curb.

It's so hard to believe that the woman would not help another woman! Oh well, you survived this, and me and mine will be praying for a very speedy recovery. hugs Helen

Thanks, everyone. I spent as much of the day as possible with my injured foot elevated (and well wrapped in an Ace bandage). The cats kept me company and I took a lot of painkillers. More than likely, the woman lives or works in this neighborhood, and I'll end up running into her again. I hope I don't ever run across her under the same circumstances. Meanwhile, I'm going to try to be more careful stepping off curbs. Once was bad luck, but twice?? Must be getting careless in my old age.

Don't feel bad, ricky... I'm an old gal now and sometimes I still think I'm a young chick who can manuever as fast as she used to and have certainly done the same thing as well.(many times than I care to admit) :-)

Oh poor Ricky. Unfortunately it is a fairly common attitude, and I have come across it to a certain extent in this country. I used to run a contract which demanded that my vehicle was clearly signwritten " working for..blah blah blah" and on several occasions I have had people approach me to tell me there was an incident/accident/whatever and could I go to sort it out. I suppose they did get involved enough to ask me, but one of these did involve an unconscious guy bleeding all over the grass from a head wound, and they had walked almost a mile to find me rather than use their own cellphone to call help. People!!!! Take care Ricky and hope your ankle is recovering well!

That is incredible. Just when I think I've got a handle on human nature some beeeatch does that to another human being. Just incredible. But what goes around comes around. She'll get what she deserves. Here's my story. I'm driving home a few weeks ago and the traffic is worse than usual. I eventually get to the problem. An 82 year old lady had broken down in the middle of the road and was struggling to get out of her car and people were driving past!! Poor thing was nearly in tears. I just stopped in the middle of the road (blocking it) and helped her to the curb and then pushed her car to the side of the road. And sat with her for an hour waiting for the recovery truck. Not one person stopped to help her. Disgusts me. And this was Christmas eve!! This shows us two things: Most people suck and I'm a nice guy. Speedy recovery Ricky.

Sorry to hear about your ankle, hope your friends int the coffee shop put something nasty in her coffee and then said "we're really sorry but we don't want to get involved in that sort of thing" when she tried to complain.....

Ricky, i'm sorry to hear about your ankle and the subsequent encounter with such a self-centred (insert appropriate swear word here). unfortunately people like that do exist and seem to be able to go through life devoid of empathy and compassion - i believe it's called 'being shallow'. rest assured there are people out there who would stop and help you but please, please don't fall off the curb again to see if you can find one. hope your ankle feels a lot better soon. :)

Sorry about your ankle! I offer my story to show that there is always hope! My experience involves non-involvement and then redemption.. . . . I have a Jeep Cherokee ( big, big tires!). A few weeks ago when I was leaving work to go home and had to replace a flat rear tire with the donut spare (coldest night of the year!). After driving a few miles, the donut also went flat. No one answered the home phone and the nearest service station was a mile away. I took some nylon webbing, strapped the jeep tire to my back and began walking to the service station. I really didn't expect anyone to stop(someone walking down a dark deserted road with a tire strapped to their back is kindda wierd) but three police cars also cruised by without even questioning the situation. I guess they also didn't want to get involved!. . . Redemption. . .I walked into a school bus depot located on the road and asked if I could use their air compressor. . . . .not only did they inflate my tire, they repaired it for me. I still had to carry my tire back to my car(a little exercise never hurt me) but one of the female bus drivers pulled over and lit my work area. She said that she would have felt guilty just leaving me in the dark.

Ricky, sorry to hear you hurt your ankle. Is is sad to think people will walk right by and not offer to help. Take comfort in the though that if you had fallen in front of any of the members of the Bryce formum that we would not have only helped you up, we would have had lunch with you too. Peggy

Amen, Peggy!

Whatever happened to Christian Charity? (No offense to non-Christians out there) Or just being a Good Samaritan? My car was rammed from behind by a flat-bed truck in front of a bus stop. My wife and I weren't injured but I needed independant witnesses for the insurance forms. I went to talk to the folks at the bus stop but no-one saw anything and couldn't look me in the eye. I called them all Bastards and walked away. Strangely, no one argued the point with me. So I knew I was right. A couple of days later I got a call from a friend who worked at a store near the bus stop. He'd seen everything but couldn't leave the store un-attended. He'd already written a witness statement and wanted to arrange to give it to me.........! Ricky: I hope your ankle is well on the way to recovery and I hate it that no-one wanted to help you. I've seen old people fall in the street, I've seen old folks broken down in their cars in the middle of a busy dual carriageway, I even seen hit and run victims laying in the road...I've helped them all and walked away feeling better in myself and cursing all the bastards who thought it was someone else's problem.....It's a cruel world but someone's got to live in it..... Stay safe... Oh yes! I just remembered! One night I overtook a woman in a car in the middle of nowhere driving with a flat tyre. She was looking to get herself killed so I FORCED her to pull over. I told her to stay in the car and lock the doors and pop the trunk so that I could change the wheel for her. She was convinced I was going to do something horrible to her. On the other side of the coin....Now that I'm a cripple I can't count the numbers of times people have seen me struggle to get out of my car and offered to help me! I've even had old ladies ofer me their seat while waiting at the Doctor's.....LOL.....What a crazy world!

Amen to that. My ankle is MUCH better today. It still hurts, but give it another day or two and I'll be fine. And thanks for all your kind thoughts ... having a bunch of friends say "You're right, she was a #&$^#*&^$" helps me let it go. Thanks again, and I do hope if I have to fall down again, I do it in front of one of you.

You're right, she was piece of shit, to say it out loud. On the other hand, there are good people. When I was in Barcelona the year before last, I sprained my ankle in the same way you did. I let myself fall down not to damage it more. And was sitting beside the kurb feeling the ankle, when three different people came to ask me whether I needed help. It's nice to know that there are compassionate people in the world. I'm glad you're feeling better.

I've got some major stories...some other time. What counts is you're OK & it wasn't something more serious like falling into traffic after a sprain. Yeah that woman had a serious problem, So I guess the best thought is that it is still her problem & not yours. Glad you're feeling better. Rod

I just received this from a friend and it instantly reminded me of this thread and I thought I would share it here: This will warm your heart. Just when you lost faith in human kindness: Someone who teaches at a Middle School in Safety Harbor, Florida forwarded the following letter. The letter was sent to the principal's office after the school had sponsored a luncheon for the elderly. An old lady received a new radio at the lunch as a door prize, and was writing to say thank you. Dear Safety Harbor Middle School, God blesses you for the beautiful radio I won at your recent senior citizens luncheon. I am 84 years old and live at the Safety Harbor Assisted Home for the Aged. All of my family has passed away. I am all alone now and it's nice to know that someone is thinking of me. God bless you for your kindness to an old forgotten lady. My roommate is 95 and always had her own radio, but before I received one, she would never let me listen to hers, even when she was napping. The other day her radio fell off the night stand and broke into a lot of pieces. It was awful and she was in tears. She asked if she could listen to mine, and I said fuck you. I guess what goes around comes around. Please excuse the vulgarity but I didn't want to change a thing.

What I want to know is why the guy (you said it was a couple?) or the other girl didn't help you, too? I suggest lasers as the answer to humanity's woes. Lasers are awesome...

Yeah, it was a couple. The man never said a word ... just ignored me altogether. That didn't really surprize me. Studies have shown that a woman will be more likely to communicate with someone even when she is not going to offer assistance, than a man in the same situation. There was no "other" girl .... just the man and woman. The person that did help me was a physician who is also a neighbor. He was very concerned for me ... probably more than the whole thing warranted. I was in pain, but it was just a sprain ... and not even a particularly bad one. It's just that it was bad enough that I couldn't get myself up off the sidewalk/curb. In any event ... my foot looks gawdawful tonight. Black and blue. However, it really doesn't feel too horrible. A couple of Aleve and I comfortable for several hours. I even walked over to the Secretary of State's office today to incorporate a client (no big deal ... only a mile walk ... but I felt good that I managed it).

Well, Ricky, I've been skating since I was a kid, I'm NOT a kid now. I've sprained my ankle at least 50 times, and none of them bad enough to not get up. So I think your physician friend was probably justified in being so concerned! And, regardless of my sprains, I've rarely had so uch bruising as to call it, "Black and Blue"... You're lucky to have such people as friends!

The Physician (Does that mean Doctor..LOL) was probably your Knight in shinning armour....you could have been REALLY grateful for his help, gone out to dinner, the movies, fell in love, got married, had children, grandchildren, lived happily ever after, grown old in the sunset, all while the bitch who didn't want to get involved divourced her husband, went bankrupt, lost her job, broke her ankle while crossing the road and got run over by a bus......You never can tell..... Did you get the Dr's phone number?

He's married, about 30 years older than me, and smokes (my cat allergies are enough to nearly kill me, I'm not about to add a smoker to the house). And, of course he was concerned (snork ... I tend to use the word "physician" because most of my clients have "Dr." in front of their name, but over half are dentists, and many are oral surgeons (DDS, MD), so I'm nothing if not as specific as I can be) -- but having broken (and sprained) that foot many (many) times, I know the difference between a mild sprain, a bad sprain, a hairline fracture, and a break. Mostly, it's the pain level, I break it and I pass out -- I sprain it bad and I puke. I didn't feel like puking, but I couldn't put enough weight on it to stand (not from sitting on the curb -- remember I'm older than most of you here). Once I was standing, I could limp on it. Aaaaaaand ... I'm still limping today, but less and less. It's still black and blue, but should be green and yellow by the weekend (blood in the tissue breaking down into bilirubin and biliverdin). That's all for the update on ME. So, how are you all doing??

I for one am feeling rather happy now after reading the new messages, and I'm very pleased that you are on the mend. It never fails to amazing me how considerate people in this forum are. Whenever someone has had a bad time of it, everyone here rallies round to give support and it is a wonderful thing to behold. Tomorrow I hope your limp is much less than it is today and that the Sun shines brightly upon you. Take care Ricky and no more falling off the pavement. 8) Catlin