By: M.J.S.
Despite the lack of a legal duty to rescue, people will usually at
least think about helping a fellow man in need, the moral twinge of
conscience nagging them to do the “right” thing. While the average
person will typically give no more than this fleeting thought and
casually move on with their day, some people, affectionately known as
Good Samaritans, act on their moral compulsions and assist, often in
the face of danger.
Several weeks ago, one of these Good Samaritans encountered the fate
of the victim he intended to protect, and was stabbed, ultimately
dying as a result. Hugo Alfredo Tale-Yax was attempting to intervene
when a knife-wielding man threatened a woman nearby. The fact that
Tale-Tax was injured, fatally at that, should come as no surprise; it
is one of the central reasons that people choose to remain uninvolved
(and of course, the desire to avoid subsequent litigation). However,
it is hard to extend the same rationale when a man is lying in the
street bleeding to death, with the assailant long since departed. Over
the course of an hour, passerbys witnessed Tale-Tax dying on the
ground and instead of calling for help, elected instead to take
pictures with their camera phones.
Only a week or two after that incident, a man in Yonkers was viciously
stabbed in the stomach and robbed after he attempted to help what
appeared to be an injured cyclist. Although the sight of someone
sprawled on the ground next to a bicycle might evoke feelings of
sympathy and even possibly the notion to help, the majority of people
would choose to mind their own business. An example like this
illustrates the mentality behind such a sentiment. In many ways,
people only have something to lose by helping another out. The
intangible moral rewards are inadequate in the minds of most, and the
risk of being injured themselves will almost always outweigh these
feeble positives. Having to stitch up an 8-inch gash in your
midsection is simply not worth it.
While these examples indicate why most people usually do not (and
possibly even why they should not) help out others in precarious
situations, the cinematic image of the heroic Good Samaritan still
exists. Recently, Steve Loverde witnessed a driver run over four
teenage girls and then attempt to drive away. Instead of allowing the
hit-and-run suspect to escape, Loverde chased down the driver in his
own car, which allowed the police to make the arrest. Even more
recently, Jessica Oshita, a young photographer fainted and fell into
the subway tracks in Union Square. While lying bloodied and
unconscious in the path of an oncoming train, an unidentified man
jumped down to help and placed the woman’s body in the well between
the tracks. He was just one of many people witnessing the scene, but
the only one to act. The gesture ultimately saved the woman’s life.
Given the dangers of helping those in similar situations, it is
remarkable that stories such as the last two still occur, albeit on
rather rare occasion. Despite the absence of any legal duty and the
inherent risk associated with taking action, some people are just
compelled to rescue others. Many, like the man in the subway, do not
even seek recognition for their acts of courageous kindness. In
reality, these tales are, and are likely to remain, the exception to
the rule. The film and television industry loves romanticizing these
heroic efforts, despite their incredible infrequency; then again, who
wants to watch such potential tragedies actually unfold? Most people
are simply content being thankful that it is not them.
