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Re: Will I stop for "Lady in distress" ??

Posted: Wed Jul 14, 2010 6:25 pm
by Cobra Medic
This situation sounds like a good reason to call the 800-525-5555 number on the back of your license. Also some cities have a Motorist Assitance Program.

Re: Will I stop for "Lady in distress" ??

Posted: Wed Jul 14, 2010 9:02 pm
by cheezit
:iagree:
I got beat to this statement. My wife has AAA. for a reason. we both keep cell phones 24/7 we both have car chargers.

Years ago I had a manager that had stoped to help an elderly lady chage a tire on the side of the road. As he was changing the tire he got knocked upside the back of the head with a pipe. They took his wallet,phone, keys, watch and rings, then rolled him down a hill passed out. He was luck he was able to go back to work 6months later.

Im a dealer tech and have been working on cars and trucks for better then 20 years. Theres not much I cant do on the side of the road, sadly I dont feel stoping to help anyone is worth the cost in the end. the one exception to that is if I see the "distress" happen in front /behind me, this way I know of or was planed or not.

Sadly either the taking of or the offering of help can be equally fatal. I opt to be prepaired with a phone, road side assistance and hopefully a little common sence
.

Re: Will I stop for "Lady in distress" ??

Posted: Wed Jul 14, 2010 9:27 pm
by TLynnHughes
cheezit wrote::iagree:
I got beat to this statement. My wife has AAA. for a reason. we both keep cell phones 24/7 we both have car chargers.

Years ago I had a manager that had stoped to help an elderly lady chage a tire on the side of the road. As he was changing the tire he got knocked upside the back of the head with a pipe. They took his wallet,phone, keys, watch and rings, then rolled him down a hill passed out. He was luck he was able to go back to work 6months later.

Im a dealer tech and have been working on cars and trucks for better then 20 years. Theres not much I cant do on the side of the road, sadly I dont feel stoping to help anyone is worth the cost in the end. the one exception to that is if I see the "distress" happen in front /behind me, this way I know of or was planed or not.

Sadly either the taking of or the offering of help can be equally fatal. I opt to be prepaired with a phone, road side assistance and hopefully a little common sence
.
Sadly I have to agree with you. I have been on the receiving end of much appreciated help. Nowadays, I'd rather no one stopped so I don't have to worry about the intentions. The best way to help is by using your cell to call police. There are three calls I plan to make if I'm stranded.....to police, to roadside assistance and to my husband who will stay on the line with me until help arrives if for some reason he can't make it. I just hope I'm never stranded in a place where there's no cell service. :eek6

T.

Re: Will I stop for "Lady in distress" ??

Posted: Wed Jul 14, 2010 10:25 pm
by Skooter
Very sad to see that no one can trust anyone now-a-days.

Re: Will I stop for "Lady in distress" ??

Posted: Thu Jul 15, 2010 1:14 am
by Zoomie
I figure that my fear should never get in the way of doing what's right.

Re: Will I stop for "Lady in distress" ??

Posted: Thu Jul 15, 2010 8:54 am
by tallmike
Situations where the little old lady needing help turns out to be a setup are rare. They make the news precisely because they are rare. We shouldn't be too afraid to help our neighbors (using a little reasonable caution) because once in a while it doesn't work out well for us.

I didn't realize how many folks actually refuse to help others because of fear of a setup. Chances are that person actually needs just a few minutes of your time to make a big difference in their day. Stop and help, you will be glad you did - and so will the other person.

Re: Will I stop for "Lady in distress" ??

Posted: Thu Jul 15, 2010 9:10 am
by pcernuch
tallmike wrote:Situations where the little old lady needing help turns out to be a setup are rare. They make the news precisely because they are rare. We shouldn't be too afraid to help our neighbors (using a little reasonable caution) because once in a while it doesn't work out well for us.

I didn't realize how many folks actually refuse to help others because of fear of a setup. Chances are that person actually needs just a few minutes of your time to make a big difference in their day. Stop and help, you will be glad you did - and so will the other person.
Zoomie wrote:I figure that my fear should never get in the way of doing what's right.

i feel the same way. this is someones maybe my wife, mother, sister. i would not be able to sleep with myself knowing the person that does stop to "help" could have other intentions. i will always help when i can.

god bless.

Re: Will I stop for "Lady in distress" ??

Posted: Thu Jul 15, 2010 9:21 am
by TLynnHughes
pcernuch wrote:
tallmike wrote:Situations where the little old lady needing help turns out to be a setup are rare. They make the news precisely because they are rare. We shouldn't be too afraid to help our neighbors (using a little reasonable caution) because once in a while it doesn't work out well for us.

I didn't realize how many folks actually refuse to help others because of fear of a setup. Chances are that person actually needs just a few minutes of your time to make a big difference in their day. Stop and help, you will be glad you did - and so will the other person.
Zoomie wrote:I figure that my fear should never get in the way of doing what's right.

i feel the same way. this is someones maybe my wife, mother, sister. i would not be able to sleep with myself knowing the person that does stop to "help" could have other intentions. i will always help when i can.

god bless.
Please keep in mind that the woman in the car will be stressed and possibly scared. If a man approaches her vehicle and she's armed, the outcome may not be great. More and more women are getting CHLs these days. Please be careful!!!

T.

Re: Will I stop for "Lady in distress" ??

Posted: Thu Jul 15, 2010 9:49 am
by USA1
TLynnHughes wrote:
Please keep in mind that the woman in the car will be stressed and possibly scared. If a man approaches her vehicle and she's armed, the outcome may not be great. More and more women are getting CHLs these days. Please be careful!!!

T.
Good Point TLynn.

Not too long ago my wife and I were headed home when we saw a lady pulled into a driveway of a business.
She had her trunk open and one of her tires was flat. My wife and I did a U turn and pulled in behind her.

We didn't want to freak her out so my wife did the initial talking, asking if she needed help ect.
Once she was at ease, I changed the tire and she was on her way.

The way I see it is, I'd rather stop to help first before someone with bad intentions shows up to "help".

Re: Will I stop for "Lady in distress" ??

Posted: Thu Jul 15, 2010 10:10 am
by Hoi Polloi
TLynnHughes wrote:Please keep in mind that the woman in the car will be stressed and possibly scared. If a man approaches her vehicle and she's armed, the outcome may not be great. More and more women are getting CHLs these days. Please be careful!!!

T.
Woah! Not what I expected to read here, especially from a woman! :bigmouth
A woman with a CHL is likely to shoot a good samaritan because she's feeling emotional?
Not exactly my opinion of CHL holders or women in general.

I'd think a CHL holder would be one of the good guys they'd want to help, not one of the potential murderers. :headscratch

If I were stranded on the side of the road and a guy approached, what I would be looking for in particular is how close he's getting, what he's doing with his hands and his overall body posture, and what my escape routes are. I would recommend that you stop a little distance forward of her car not blocking the most direct escape path, make your known presence as obvious as possible (look straight at her and try to catch her eye or give her a nod. Move directly but cautiously and at an angle if possible toward her so you don't look like you're sneaking around where she just "happens" to also be or like you're charging her), stay as far away from the woman/car as possible in the situation, not move your hands suddenly, and once close enough that you holler, "Do you need any help?" If she says no thank you but does not have a cell to her ear at the time, she might be scared of your intentions and be in need of help but not wanting to place herself at risk. "Would you like me to call the police for you or wait in my car until help arrives?" If she says no thank you again, leave her. These would help keep both of you safe from the unknown other while addressing the situation at hand.

Re: Will I stop for "Lady in distress" ??

Posted: Thu Jul 15, 2010 10:33 am
by silverbear
Chuck K. wrote: Possibly the fact that many peoples unemployment check have reached the end of their extensions plays a role in this type of attack..
:headscratch

Re: Will I stop for "Lady in distress" ??

Posted: Thu Jul 15, 2010 10:43 am
by TLynnHughes
Hoi Polloi wrote:
TLynnHughes wrote:Please keep in mind that the woman in the car will be stressed and possibly scared. If a man approaches her vehicle and she's armed, the outcome may not be great. More and more women are getting CHLs these days. Please be careful!!!

T.
Woah! Not what I expected to read here, especially from a woman! :bigmouth
A woman with a CHL is likely to shoot a good samaritan because she's feeling emotional?
Not exactly my opinion of CHL holders or women in general.

I'd think a CHL holder would be one of the good guys they'd want to help, not one of the potential murderers. :headscratch
Oh heaven's no, I did not mean that woman CHL holder would likely shoot a good samaritan....emotions or not. I'm sorry if it came across that way.

Here's what I was thinking...

From what I've read on this forum and others, most men do not take into consideration that a woman may be armed, so my post was kind of reminder.

Also, from my experience, many women(not all, certainly not you and I) shoot just enough to pass their CHL qualifications but do not continue to practice at the range, take personal defense classes or even participate on the forums. This makes a huge difference in reaction, I think.

And it was a continuation of my other post...I really don't want anyone to stop for me. Please make a cell phone call for me. I'm old and decrepid. If you're close enough for me to hear what you're shouting over traffic noise and such, you're too close to me for me to be comfortable with the situation. Every foot closer a "good samaritan" is, means less time I have to make a decision about the scenario and take action. Chances are, I would give the samaritan the benefit of the doubt which could cost me my life. The Walmart parking lot video (in another post here on the forum and occurred less than a mile from where I work) is a great visual of how quickly things can go very bad. It made a lasting impression on me.

That's just my thought process when I made the post. I certainly didn't mean to offend anyone, especially a sister CHL holder.

T.

Re: Will I stop for "Lady in distress" ??

Posted: Thu Jul 15, 2010 10:46 am
by TLynnHughes
USA1 wrote:
TLynnHughes wrote:
Please keep in mind that the woman in the car will be stressed and possibly scared. If a man approaches her vehicle and she's armed, the outcome may not be great. More and more women are getting CHLs these days. Please be careful!!!

T.
Good Point TLynn.

Not too long ago my wife and I were headed home when we saw a lady pulled into a driveway of a business.
She had her trunk open and one of her tires was flat. My wife and I did a U turn and pulled in behind her.

We didn't want to freak her out so my wife did the initial talking, asking if she needed help ect.
Once she was at ease, I changed the tire and she was on her way.

The way I see it is, I'd rather stop to help first before someone with bad intentions shows up to "help".
You are so right about that. Having your wife start the conversation was a good thought. I wish times were simpler and everyone who responded to help was just like you and your wife!

T.

Re: Will I stop for "Lady in distress" ??

Posted: Thu Jul 15, 2010 11:01 am
by Excaliber
silverbear wrote:
Chuck K. wrote: Possibly the fact that many peoples unemployment check have reached the end of their extensions plays a role in this type of attack..
:headscratch
Despite what the so called news media would like to lead you to believe, in the real world financial difficulties don't turn most folks from law abiding citizens into armed bandits.

Think about it - if you lost your job and couldn't keep up with your bills, would you go out and rob someone?

Re: Will I stop for "Lady in distress" ??

Posted: Thu Jul 15, 2010 11:09 am
by silverbear
Excaliber wrote:Despite what the so called news media would like to lead you to believe, in the real world financial difficulties don't turn most folks from law abiding citizens into armed bandits.

Think about it - if you lost your job and couldn't keep up with your bills, would you go out and rob someone?
:iagree: