Tamil cinema icon Ajith Kumar, who is basking in limelight after his team recently clinched the third place in the Dubai 24H race, shared some safety tips for ‘good Samaritans’ to follow while helping road accident victims.
Ajith highlighted that it is essential to prioritise the safety and well-being of those involved and not take matters into own hands. The actor feels that when one sees a road accident victim it is best not to lift them like a ragdoll and ‘shove them in an auto or cab’. Instead call for an ambulance and wait for paramedics to come, he said in an interaction with Gulf News.
Sharing a personal anecdote, he said, “It happened to a very close friend of mine, who met with a car accident in Pune and the locals around (him) thought they were being very kind, and good Samaritans; (they) picked him up, he had broken his vertebra… the poor guy is now confined to a wheelchair. I am not trying to say we need to educate people about, but they need to be told that ‘You don’t just run up to an accident victim on the road and pick them up like a ragdoll and shove them into an auto or a cab’. Wait for the paramedics to arrive.”
Then some people tend to give them (road accident victims) water. Then if that person requires immediate surgery, you cannot perform the surgery right away because that person has consumed water… it could (cause them their life), he added.
“In India, and most parts of the world, people think they are being good Samaritans. They see an accident victim on the road and they just go, pick them up and put them in an auto. If the person, unfortunately, has a spinal injury, by doing so, you maim them for life,” the actor said.
Kumar’s racing team made an electrifying debut at the Michelin 24H Dubai endurance race, clinching third place in the 991 category. Adding to the triumph, Kumar was honoured with the prestigious “Spirit of the Race” award in the GT4 category.