Sometimes it’s hard not to feel like you’re living in an episode of “Black Mirror.” Everyone is so obsessed with their phones that they never look up, and even when they do, they don’t actually want to help other people — they’d rather film something bad going down for social media rather than stop it.
That’s exactly what happened in the English city of York recently, when, instead of helping a drowning man who’d fallen into the River Ouse, people decided to take selfies.
It’s unclear how the unnamed man fell into the river.
However, it happened near the Raddison hotel in the city center. The River is deep, though thankfully there weren’t many fast-moving currents at the time of the incident.
Nevertheless, North Yorkshire Police say that there were plenty of people gathered on the bridge and watching the man struggle, and yet there wasn’t “any apparent attempt to throw him a life ring.”
Thankfully, the man survived.
Two police officers eventually arrived on the scene and were successful in getting the man out of the water. He was then taken to a nearby hospital to recover.
That being said, police are none too pleased with the public’s behavior. How could anyone watch someone struggle to keep their head above water and recognize the grave danger they’re in and do nothing?
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The police have issued a statement urging the public to be more thoughtful and helpful in the future.
“Two of our officers saved a man in the River Ouse in York yesterday. They were glad to help… but something they saw made them concerned,” North Yorkshire Police said in a statement following the incident.
“Crowds gathered on Ouse Bridge and surrounding walkways watching the man struggle to keep his head above water. But nobody had attempted to throw him a life ring. At least two floatation devices were accessible metres from the scene.”
The statement continued, informing people of where life rings and flotation devices are available around the waterways in York. They even gave ideas for how people can help someone who’s struggling in the water.
“Those vital seconds can make all the difference,” they added.
