YANBU, 29 March 2008 — The horrific death of a five-year-old girl, who passed away on March 14 while waiting for over an hour for an ambulance after being knocked over in a hit-and-run accident, has highlighted the widespread reluctance of members of the public to help the injured.
Umaima Al-Shinquiti was knocked over on her way to kindergarten.
“It was a shocking accident. She died bleeding while waiting for help. The responsibility of her death partly falls on members of the public who failed to react,” said Aid Al-Ghamdi, an eyewitness.
He added: “People were hesitant to get involved. They were scared of getting into trouble with the authorities, especially since the driver of the car sped away. She was only provided help when an ambulance arrived. Someone could have easily rushed her to hospital, but no one did.”
Maj. Humaid Al-Sahafi, spokesman for the Traffic Department in Yanbu, said police are still trying to locate the driver of the vehicle. “We’ve questioned the drivers of four school buses. We are trying to identify the vehicle that was involved in the accident. This would then lead us to the driver,” he explained.
Al-Sahafi further urged people with information to come forward. “Such people would not be treated as criminals but as witnesses. It is crucial that people come forward and clear their consciences,” he added.
Al-Shinquiti’s death underscores a reluctance in the Kingdom to help injured people, who often receive crucial medical help too late. Some say people do not get involved fearing the authorities may accuse them of being involved.
“The culprit had driven off in this young girl’s case and so people were apprehensive in coming forward. People have previously been accused of being involved when helping accident victims,” said Yanbu resident Ghanim Al-Harbi.
However, he added that despite their apprehensions, Saudis are generally willing to risk their own safety to help others. “Of course Saudis are willing to help. They’re known to put themselves in danger trying to rescue others. There are so many stories of this in the media. In one case, a Saudi citizen died trying to rescue some people who were drowning,” he added.
Apprehensions
Mawsim Al-Masturi, a Saudi farmer, told Arab News how he was accused of murder after trying to help a man, who he found bleeding. “I was out herding my sheep when I came across a man lying on the ground. I tried to wake him up but it turned out that he was dead,” said Al-Masturi, adding that he informed the police, who accused him of murder.
“After two months of investigations, the murder weapon — an ax — was found. Fingerprints on it were different to mine and I was let off. It really puts you off. I’m not going to get involved in a similar scenario again,” he added.
Khalid Al-Zahrani, another Saudi, said the authorities themselves are responsible for not providing help to people in time. He cited the example of a woman found unconscious on a street close to a mosque. “When worshippers came out they found her unconscious on the street. We contacted the police and they refused to let us help. They said the Red Crescent was coming, which arrived after a long time,” he said, adding that the police refused to let anyone interfere and drive the woman to Yanbu General Hospital, which was very close.
“The woman was diabetic and had fallen unconscious because of this. The police are more concerned about security rather than the people’s safety. That woman could have died,” he added.
