Months ago news about window cleaners crashing to their death from the 15th floor made the headlines.
This happened just in front of our building. My friends and guards downstairs told me how the cleaners waited hours in the heat for rescue then after crashing to the ground, screamed and moaned to their death. A lot of people were watching but only ”authorized” personnel were allowed to do the deliverance.
In this country, helping is done at your own risk. People will always wait for the police to do any rescue lest they get blamed for making things worse.
A taxi driver once told me of an accident he witnessed. 3 school children were hit by a car and bystanders watched the little bodies twitching and moving while lying in the road. He said he wanted so bad to help but was scared that if he did, it would backfire on him.
It’s a sad reality.
One morning, as I stepped out of our building on my way to work, I saw people with their heads up looking at something. I followed their gaze and it took me a lot of squinting to see what the fuss was all about.
At that moment, I wanted to become an invisible superman and fly to their rescue.
I slowly walked away knowing I had no power to save these men’s lives. I just whispered a prayer that God would hold the cables until the police arrives.
I also prayed that if something bad happens to me and I lay twitching, screaming and swimming in my own blood, somebody would risk their life and bring me to the hospital.
Dead or alive, I will thank them.
VIOLETOLOGY 
sad but true…
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This is real sad, Violet. I hear a lot of stories like this from my husband when he comes home from work. He is an investigator and a safety inspector/officer who protects employees’ rights on having a safe work environment. He also investigates fatalities like this one— although the companies’ neglect on their workers’ safety is aired out like a dirty laundry and eventually get penalized, so many lives have been lost from the employers not really caring about their workers’ safety. I feel bad for Abu Dhabi; and the lack of “community watch”. I think that it’s a given that when you put yourself in pedestal to save someone… but really… at the end of the day, what kind of people would even categorize it illegal? “Oh that man saved a man’s life. It’s UNAUTHORIZED”. This mind frame has got to stop. Thanks for sharing!
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Dang, the police had better come quickly then.
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I think they did, because no news of death came up in the paper that day 🙂
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In my opinion, most people will not help even if they were allowed to (I don’t care what the taxi driver says about his intentions……………they are not true). It’s the gloomy truth about life that people don’t help others in need.
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It takes one to know one 🙂
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