Is this a crime

[TheJesus89]

I would imagine that your situation being a crime isn't very possible

1) You and the sinking man are alone, and therefore no one is there to report you
2) There are other people who wish to save him, so they call. No harm no foul.
3) There are other people who don't wish to save him, in which case they also commit the crime, and are equally guilty.

It would be like making blowing up planets illegal. Sure, it's a bad thing, but it's so completely unlikely to happen that it's not worth the documentation it would take to make it a law.

 

[razer17]

not doing something cannot lead to anything. Not taking action to prevent ill consequences as a crime, would put EVERYONE in prison.

Negligence is already illegal. It's fairly specific, and is actually more to do with companies and people who have a duty of care. These people can, and have, been sued or gone to prison for not performing an action that could have prevented death or injury.

This doesn't usually get applied to usually everyday citizens.

 

[JochemDude]

I don't think so.
Also it's quicksand who is gonna find out anyway.

 

[Booze Zombie]

I think it might actually count as manslaughter via inaction, so if found out you could probably expect the law to smack the crap out of you.

 

[Quaxar]

If it is it shouldn't be. Forcing people who don't have the necessary training to try to help is just as likely to hurry death along as keep it at bay.

Because clearly calling emergency services won't change a thing. If you've got the choice between not helping and letting him die and helping with the worst case he dies anyway what makes you think you should rather not do anything?

1: I'm not glued to my cell phone like most people in this world, and chances are if I ever run across someone injured or trapped I'm either going to be in a very public place or hurtling down the road far too fast to even notice.
2: I don't know that person, so why should I care? I know it sounds cold and unfeeling, mostly because it is cold and unfeeling, but if I don't know them then what good will it do me to do anything? And no, I don't buy "It will make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside", eating a hot pocket gives me the same feeling.

1: Well, if you're out in the wild without a phone fine, not much you can do in case of the quicksand scenario unless you happen to have a rope or anything. If you can't see it, again fine. But that public place thing can't be an excuse; <url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bystander_effect>oh look, you and 200 other people are now watching a person die. How nice. Someone should totally get popcorn for everyone.
Of course, police can't realistically prosecute everyone for that but it still makes you an ass.
2: Screw warm and fuzzy, how about warm and alive? So you're saying you'd rather walk by someone you could possibly help and not do a thing because "it's none of your concern"? I suppose you'd prefer it if everyone else behaved like that too if it concerned you?

 

[StANDY1338]

Involentary manslaugher through neglagence?

 

[Deverfro]

Depends if you left cause you knew you had no way of helping him in time to save him, or if you just watched him drown out of spite.

 

[Killclaw Kilrathi]

Here in Australia the default rule would be to alert the appropriate emergency service, and to help them yourself only if you have the knowledge and the means to keep yourself out of danger. However, leaving them to die without doing anything at all could possibly be considered criminal negligence. I couldn't find a domestic version of this offence at first glance but we do at least have a marine offence for "failing to help a person resulting in death or gross bodily harm", which carries either a $100,000 fine or two years imprisonment as the maximum penalty.

 

[not_you]

If you could do something to help, I believe it is a crime to just continue "without noticing"

Then again, if he dies, and no-one else was around, you'd get off scot-free due to no witnesses... But if there WERE witnesses, then why the hell wouldn't they help him?

- I mean

You should both help the guy....
>.>
<.<

 

[Brandon237]

I my country it is a crime...
you have to help someone unless you could die yourself by helping the person and even then you could be punished for not helping...
dont ask me for the exact wording of that law because translating that to english would be more than difficult for me

May I have a word with your government on that bolded part over there? Because that is stupid to the most horrific degree. If you are at risk of injury or death, the best advice you will ever get is: Call emergency services, Wait, and do NOT risk your own hide. So many people get killed themselves in situations like that.

I don't know about the law here, not that too many people even follow the laws here -.-

And personally, it makes sense for it to be criminal if, and only if, you will not endanger yourself by helping them, not calling for help when you have the means to do so should also be a crime, a lighter one, but a crime regardless.

 

[Chefodeath]

It is in Finland, as far as I'm aware.

Wouldn't know about other countries, but it should be. Obviously.

By that logic, shouldn't everyone be required to donate at least one kidney and a good chunk of their liver? We're obligated to help others after all.

 

[plugav]

I think the law obliges you to call for help, at least where I'm from. But, to charge you with anything, they'd have to prove that you were there, had the means to call help and did nothing.

 

[Brandon237]

I my country it is a crime...
you have to help someone unless you could die yourself by helping the person and even then you could be punished for not helping...
dont ask me for the exact wording of that law because translating that to english would be more than difficult for me

May I have a word with your government on that bolded part over there? Because that is stupid to the most horrific degree. If you are at risk of injury or death, the best advice you will ever get is: Call emergency services, Wait, and do NOT risk your own hide. So many people get killed themselves in situations like that.

I don't know about the law here, not that too many people even follow the laws here -.-

And personally, it makes sense for it to be criminal if, and only if, you will not endanger yourself by helping them, not calling for help when you have the means to do so should also be a crime, a lighter one, but a crime regardless.

oh i forgot calling 911 etc counts as helping

Thank-goodness, or that law would be downright evil in the right situation. Asking to sacrifice yourself for another is something no government should be allowed to do unless you enter a position where that is needed willingly.

 

[Bad Jim]

Wouldn't really be hard. The rope's a good 20 feet or so. Tie one end to the truck, toss the other end to the guy, and if he's only strong enough to tie it around his wrists I can carefully pull forward.

It should be noted that the deadly vacuum cleaner quicksand seen in movies is a myth. Real quicksand is rather dense and the victim will only sink about waist high then stop sinking. The real danger arises because the victim is stuck.

Pulling them out with a rope attached to a truck is likely to tear the victim into two half victims. It would be far better in this case to phone the authorities. You can free yourself by wriggling your legs.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/09/0928_050928_quicksand.html

 

[Fiskmasen]

Remind me to never party with you guys. Jesus, what a buzz-kill.

 

[Jazoni89]

You can't die in quicksand, unless you dunk your head, head first in to the sand.

It can never completely swallow you up, and it will go up to about your waist at the very worst.

 

[Rawne1980]

You can't die in quicksand, unless you dunk your head, head first in to the sand.

It can never completely swallow you up, and it will go up to about your waist at the very worst.

So if he was hobbit sized, he'd be screwed basically.

 

[Dawn Patrol]

Just follow one simple rule.

If there's no broken glass, it isn't a crime.

 

[electric_warrior]

last sunday i was at a BBQ with some mates drinking and whatnot, and my brother presented us with this strange question

"if you happen across a stranger who is sinking in quicksand and you just leave him to die is that a crime"

we could not seem to decide if it was.

what do you guys think??

No. In UK law, an omission is not a crime unless you owe the person a duty of care (if they're your kid, partner or patient) or you created the dangerous situation (i.e. by somehow by creating quicksand in a place people often walk through).

Other than that, no, an omission is never a crime.

 

[mastiffchild]

If you ring for help(assuming you didn't pull him out as you're too weak because if there'd be massive danger of you joining him if you DID help personally then it's no crime not to, or try to, pull him out)then you're swwet and golden but if you KNOW you could save him by calling out or ringing for help then I'd say your choice was pretty criminal-maybe even a form of manslaugher here ion the UK but as for the exact law? Leave that to others but it SHOULD be that, though you didn't cause ANY of it originally you're still condemning a man to his death knowing you can save him which is why the manslaughter charge(not a premeditated attack)fits in my mind.

Whatever, you're a piece of crap if you DO just leave another human to their doom while in power to save them-the choice NOT to help is as deadly as, say, the choice to pull the gun or take out the knife would be to my mind and possibly even scarier as it's even colder to leave someone who never did anything to you(or you don't know) to die while a murder is, at the very least, usually a crime of some passion where your betrayal or anger gets the better of you-just leaving someone, with NO MOTIVE at all to their doom seems a lot less understandable than a guy shooting his wife's lover who he just caught in bed with her it whatever, if yo see what I mean. Takes a real selfish, heartless SOB to leave someone with whom you've no relation to or grudge against to their death.

Also you wouldn't be doing NOTHING you'd be actively IGNORING the person and their plight and choosing to do so knowing you're killing them by taking this course.i don't see how you could argue to yourself any kind of innocence. As I said,i'm no expert on the letter of the law here in the UK and dunno about proving any of this so had to just think what I'd feel as the person doing the ignoring-it SHOULD be the law and you'd expect ANY citizen to do their duty in these kinds of instances. It would be worryingly cold and make me wonder if you were a really dangerous person as a result-if you're capable of leaving someone you don't know to die what would you do to a type of person you didn't like or someone who'd , IRL, done you wrong?