Good Samaritan Robbed

thief

I was reading this morning that a lady who directed traffic at a horrific car crash near Busselton, in Western Australia’s south, on Sunday found later that someone had stolen $500 from her car while she was helping others.

She had left her car door open while attending to the accident victim and directing traffic. Others on the scene were busy getting towels and a first-aid kit to treat the accident victim.

The woman contacted a prominent Busselton businessman, who helped at the crash scene, on Monday, to ask if he had noticed anyone take anything from her car during the accident.

The businessman, who was third on the scene, said the woman told him she believed the money was taken at the crash site.

Both the businessman and the woman had left their car doors open while attending to the accident victim, while others on the scene were getting towels and a first-aid kit from a car.

No other property was reported stolen from the scene, despite at least one other vehicle having handbags and purses inside. – WAtoday

It’s obviously a crime of opportunity but it would leave a very sour taste.

I’m wondering if you’ve ever had a good deed go wrong.

Have you played the part of Good Samaritan only to have it go bad for you? Has that made you more wary of helping others or is that the risk we take when we do the right thing?



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Yep … Passenger

So how did I get here? Sitting in a room in the emergency department of Fremantle Hospital at 5:30 a.m. on a Friday, tapping out this stream of consciousness, or perhaps I should say semi-conciousness.

Thursday had its ups and downs. My rear dérailleur cable snapped on the way to work, presenting challenges of its own, but thanks to a very accomplished bike mechanic the bike was fixed in time to give me a great ride home.

Once I got home life was pretty normal. That was until we got the call. Our daughter, Emily, was experiencing sharp pains and needed to be picked up from her part time job. Pauline headed out to get her and soon realised this was more than a tummy ache. After dropping home so that Emily couple change they headed out again to the after hours GP. The doctor suspected appendicitis so we all headed for Armadale Hospital where we waited about three hours for Emily to be seen by a doctor. After some initial treatment it was suggested we drive Emily to Fremantle where she could be seen by a surgeon.

That was many hours ago. Emily has been looked after very well by some lovely staff but the surgeon has had to go to theatre so we’re waiting again. Thankfully Emily’s now quite comfortable but Pauline and I could do with a bed and some sleep … and for that matter the dinner we missed out on last night.

Seeing an emergency department go about their business in the wee small hours is quite an experience. Doctors, nurses and support staff all go about their business, never knowing what the next moment will bring.

Just a short while ago a patient was wheeled past the room where Emily is resting. The patient was in a bed surrounded by medical staff, blood across their face. I caught just a snatch of the conversation as they passed. “Yep, passenger.” The victim of a road accident no doubt. Right now there are two police officers exchanging information on a crash with the emergency department staff.

There’s a lot of waiting for us here this morning but there’s also a sense that our girl is in very good, caring hands. Hands that will be called upon to patch up people from a variety of circumstances. I’ve only caught a snapshot of what goes on here but it’s enough to give me great respect for those who day after day care for those who come through the door marked ‘EMERGENCY’.



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If you only watch one YouTube video this year …..

…. make sure it’s this video.

This has been around for a while but I only watched it yesterday …. and cried.

I know that you don’t have much time and I know that you don’t normally watch YouTube videos that run more than a couple of minutes but please, please, please take ten minutes to watch this video. Once you’ve watched it, share it and make sure those you love, especially young people, watch this video. It may save you an enormous amount of grief.

I see drivers texting all the time and it scares, annoys and frustrates me. I can only hope that messages like this one can turn things around for those who still don’t get it.



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A Morning Emergency

I’m no saint or hero and I’m not trying to blow my own trumpet but I want to raise an interesting issue, based on an experience I had this morning. I’d really appreciate getting your comments on this one.

As I was cycling up a hill on the way to work this morning I noticed a group of five young children, probably around the age of 10 to 12. One boy was riding his scooter downhill on the footpath.

A steep hill, a small boy, a footpath and a scooter is not always a great combination. Three quarters the way down the hill the boy and the scooter parted ways.

This looks serious

The boy lay motionless on the footpath. I looked around to see who would help. The woman on the pushbike nearby kept riding. The woman walking with her very young child kept walking. I headed across the road to see what I could do. Thankfully he started moving.

As he got up I could see many scrapes and bruises. I could also see that he was shaking. I was able to direct him to sit back down while he dealt with the initial shock of his high speed collision with the pavement. One of the girls had a mobile phone so they called his mum. I suggested they make sure that she was told that he was OK, just a little scraped and shaken.

Emergency over

Once I was sure that everything was under control I jumped back on my bike to continue the journey to work. (It’s hard work getting started again half way up a steep incline.) The children all said thank you for stopping …. a number of times.

What would you do?

I wonder what you would do in that kind of situation. I wonder why other adults in the area just kept going about their business.

I know that I think twice before stepping in when kids are involved. As a society we’ve been trained to think the worst whenever an adult male is interacting with young children. I was certainly glad that there was a group of children so that I wasn’t dealing with the boy on my own.

Is there a reluctance to help others these days? Are we concerned about what others might think? Are we too busy to care? Are we worried about our liability if something goes wrong?

Would you stop to help someone who is injured or in distress?

As I said earlier, I don’t think I’m a saint or a hero, I’m just someone who saw a need and jumped in. I’d like to think that that’s normal but I’m wondering now how normal it is. I’d appreciate your comments.



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Remembering Maria Sue Chapman

Yesterday I wrote about the tragic news out of Nashville of the death of Maria, the five year old daughter of US Christian Singer, Steven Curtis Chapman and his wife MaryBeth.

This morning I spoke to pastor, musician and broadcaster, Mike Rayson, who lives in Nashville and is walking a similar journey after losing his eldest son in an accident just over a year ago. Mike joined me live on the phone during my morning radio programme on 98.5 Sonshine FM in Perth, Western Australia. The interview is a touching discussion on the accident which took Maria’s life and the heartbreak of losing a child.

You can hear the interview and get a glimpse into the road ahead for the Chapman family by clicking play on the audio player at the bottom of this post.

A statement has been released on Steven Curtis Chapman’s official website.

NASHVILLE, TN…5/21/08… At approximately 5pm on the afternoon of Wednesday May 21st, Maria Sue Chapman, 5 years old and the youngest daughter to Steven and Mary Beth Chapman was struck in the driveway of the Chapman home in Franklin, TN. Maria was rushed to Vanderbilt Childrens Hospital in Nashville, transported by LifeFlight, but died of her injuries there. Maria is one of the close knit family’s six children and one of their three adopted daughters.

More than five years ago, Chapman and his wife MaryBeth founded The Shaohannah’s Hope Ministry after bringing their first adopted daughter, Shaohannah, home from China. The ministry’s goal is to help families reduce the financial barrier of adoption, and has provided grants to over 1700 families wishing to adopt orphans from around the world. Chapman is a five-time GRAMMY ® winner and 54-time Dove Award-winning artist who has sold over 10 million albums and garnered 44 No. 1 singles.

For those in the Nashville area who would like to remember Maria at her funeral or at a memorial service, details have been posted at Steven Curtis Chapman’s website.

Funeral Arrangements for Maria Sue Chapman

Friday May 23rd Visitation 5:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Saturday May 24th Memorial service 11:00 a.m.

Christ Presbyterian Church
2323 Old Hickory Blvd, Nashville, TN
(615) 373-2311

A website has been set up in memory of Maria. You can visit In Memory of Maria to leave your condolences for the family.



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