Some people do stop to help

[jdsmith]

Thats just it, i cant sleep so I come to haunt YOU

by the way, are you going to be still on forumosa when you have reached yonder shores?

Will you haunt like I do ?

No. Yes.

fixed

Thank you, and I love your avatars.

But, no.

[dahsiung]

A related story:
Years ago I was heading to work on my scooter when an elderly woman on a bicycle who had been in an alley lurched into my lane. I braked hard and simultaneously jerked to the left (I know ... bad idea). Needless to say, I turfed hard and cracked my head on the asphalt. The aforementioned old lady meandered past me to wherever it was she was going.
I laid on the ground for a minute or two with scooters roaring past me coming from both directions. As I was easing to my feet and surveying my scooter, a young college-aged lad stopped and helped my lift up my scooter and move it to the side of the road. He then told me I should go to see a doctor because I looked pretty bad. I waved him off and said "No, I'm okay." before thanking him profusely for his help. I hopped onto my scooter and rode off. About a minute down the road, he pulled up to me at a stoplight and gestured wildly at my arm and leg. I then saw that I serious road burn on both my elbow and my ankle and both wounds were bleeding a bit. I thanked him again, said "No problem" and scooted the rest of the way to work.
When I arrived at work, my coworkers went all histrionic and started doing all the necessary first-aid. My boss kept exhorting me to go to the ER and take the day off. I again waved them all off and said, "I'm fine. No problem. Just a bit of blood, that's all." I taught all my classes that day and the next morning and then finally saw a doctor in the afternoon - about 24 hours after the accident. I found out a week later I had broken my collarbone.
The moral of this story (oh wait, was there supposed to be a reason for this ...)
1) Some people stop, some people don't (just like everywhere else)
2) Sometimes your bosses and coworkers can really show you they care
3) I am WAY more stupid and stubborn than I should be

[tomthorne]

My main recommendation was for point 1, by the way.

[Homey]

I've never seen people stop, and sadly most won't even call for help. People are glued to their phones, how hard is it to make a short call for an ambulance? I have seen business owners and homeowners come out and help and make the needed phone calls for medical/police assistance.

I have a friend who is a nurse, she was trapped under her scooter with broken bones for over 30 minutes before a policeman just happened to be driving by and saw her.

The funny thing is, each and every time I come upon an accident, stop the scoot and start to help, I am immediately assisted by other people. It's as if people are waiting for that first person to actually stop, then they feel it's safe to help.

I'm sure things are different in Taipei. Once again, expecting that Taipei is the same as southern/mid Taiwan is silly. There is more to Taiwan then Taipei.

[Super Hans]

Ya, and most accidents aren't horrible like the ones shown on youtube. I've seen dozens of minor bumps and scrapes and bang ups and in nearly every case, someone has immediately gone to help.

If some guy is destroyed by a cement truck and you have your kids in the car, would YOU stop?

Well, with kids it's a bit different. You have to weigh up the value of what assistance you can give, but what you have done here is thrown in an angle which almost excuses some people (quite rightly) for not offering to help, based on the protection of their own children's mental wellbeing.
I would like to disagree with you on the youtube vids - most of the featured accidents are minor, and very few people stop to help. I travel extensively around Taiwan, and the accidents I see, whether minor or major, involve noticeably absent assistance from passers' by.
However, once I stop, other people tend to follow suite. I guess people are just scared to make that first move.

[superking]

Yes it was my impression (from this forumosa)

This is where you should stop. A large majority of Taiwan related posts on this site do not accurately reflect the reality of life and living here. You want accurate impressions of Taiwan? Look at the photo threads.

The big question I always have for you, since you do not live here and have no plans of coming back is Why do you care....so much...about every tiny thing that goes on here?

+1 The same applies to Chewy, too.

You guys can't vote, why give a shit about politics?

[superking]

The funny thing is, each and every time I come upon an accident, stop the scoot and start to help, I am immediately assisted by other people. It's as if people are waiting for that first person to actually stop, then they feel it's safe to help.

Bystander effects. The more people around, the less likely you are to do anything.

You will notice that video is NOT SET IN TAIWAN!!!! SHOCK!!!

[jdsmith]

However, once I stop, other people tend to follow suite. I guess people are just scared to make that first move.

Sure. Most of us aren't emts or have nice clean clothes on.

I rarely get there first, so I may miss the gap between the accident and someone helping.

Btw, are we talking about the same videos? There's a thread on this site that is absolutely horrible. I can't watch it anymore. I think I watched two or three, but when I figure out what's going to happen to quickly click away.

[ChewDawg]

Yes it was my impression (from this forumosa)

This is where you should stop. A large majority of Taiwan related posts on this site do not accurately reflect the reality of life and living here. You want accurate impressions of Taiwan? Look at the photo threads.

The big question I always have for you, since you do not live here and have no plans of coming back is Why do you care....so much...about every tiny thing that goes on here?

+1 The same applies to Chewy, too.

Such nativism and localism on the threads

Let me rephrase it this way; With two stepchildren that are 100% Taiwanese, with a wife that is 100% Taiwanese, with a toddler that is a dual citizen, with 8 years experience in Taiwan working in government and for one of its biggest companies, and with friends on this board whose opinions and humor I continue to enjoy reading (and opponents I continue to enjoy pissing off), why the hell wouldn't I be a regular contributor/reader/

Some of us leave Taiwan to give our kids better opportunities or to pursue diverse job opportunities, but we're still very much interested in Taiwan. You spend a decade or so in another locale and when large parts of your family is from that place, it would seem even stranger to make a break where you didn't contribute/read posts.

That there is a Greater Forumosa section makes me think that the higher ups on the site welcome people regardless of if they still live in Taiwan or not.

Tommy may post too much sometimes but as a person with a Taiwan mother/US father, the site is a great place for him to reconnect with Taiwan. People such as the Chief may get annoyed by him, but a Bay-area half-taiwanese person such as Tommy has just as much rights to use it as a Canuckistan hillbilly (the Chief) or many Engrishy teachers for that matter.

[Mucha Man]

Absolutely. Forumosa without Chewie and tommy would be a barren place indeed.