Good Samaritans take photos of elderly man bleeding in Chinese city before helping in case he sued them
Pedestrians refuse to offer assistance to man in distress in Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan province, until they had first collected 'evidence'
When confronted with an elderly man bleeding from the head and lying motionless in the street, pedestrians in a major city in northern China wouldn’t offer help until they had taken several photographs capturing the scene in case he later sued them.
It’s a vexing situation many Chinese on the mainland face – if they follow their impulse to help someone in distress, they can later face steep lawsuits when the injured person casts around for someone to blame and make some money in the process.
The elderly man was crossing a road in Zhengzhou, the capital of northern Henan province, on Saturday when he apparently collapsed, according to regional news portal Dahe.com.
Some passers-by stopped and a small crowd grew, but no one immediately came forward to assist him even though blood was streaming from his head.
They waited until they had taken photos of the situation with their smartphones before helping him and calling the police and an ambulance.