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A mother has criticised “selfish” British commuters for failing to help her teenage son after he collapsed on a packed tram platform.
Oliver Tiplady was on his way to school when he fainted and banged his head at the tram stop.
But instead of helping the 14-year-old, who was in school uniform and clutching a satchel, those nearby simply walked around him.
On Sunday night, his family said that they were horrified by the selfishness and uncaring attitude of rush-hour commuters.
Oliver’s mother, Susan Tiplady, 53, a retired teacher, said: “This walk-on-by society has got to stop and think for once in their lives.
“How can people justify leaving a child, or anybody for that matter, on the floor like that? There would have been so many people that walked past him at 8.15am.
“How could they all have ignored him? They must have lacked any basic humanity and had no compassion towards a child. I imagine a lot of the people who walked past would have been mothers or fathers - how would they feel if it was their child left like that?
“These days people are too insular and only care about their own business. I can possibly understand if it was a drunk hoodie but he’s a 14-year-old boy in his school uniform. Oliver has been left devastated.”
Mrs Tiplady, who lives with husband Gary, 48, a manager at Manchester Airport, said her son regained consciousness about ten minutes after fainting at the Altrincham Metrolink Interchange in Greater Manchester last week.
“Oliver told me that he felt dizzy and the next thing he fell and banged his head on the concrete - but they all just walked past him as if nothing had happened,’ she added.
“He managed to get up and sit down before his friends turned up but by then he was too embarrassed to tell them what had happened. It wasn’t until he got to school that he told a teacher.”
She said Oliver has suffered unexplained seizures in the past.
A spokesman for the Metrolink tram system said that there were emergency help buttons at all stops, adding: “If there are staff on hand then they will always be there to help.” - Daily Mail
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Pete, wrote
Seems a strange story this...the boy says he fainted and was unconscious,his friends weren't with him and as yet there has been no cctv shown....yet we can be sure that "hundreds" of people walked round and over him and without a shred of evidence this story is in all the papers and is syndicated around the world to show how sick we are in Britain.The boy said that he didn't tell his friends but told a teacher at school.Well I'm sorry but from my travels around this country I do not recognise this portrayal of people I meet.And finally we are so wanting to believe the story and run ourselves down we accept it as gospel
Zixin, wrote
Franklin, I think she means that if it was a drunk hoodie it may be dangerous to help, which would give some excuse not to help. Some people may argue that they didn't help the boy simply because of the fear of danger (I didn't make this feeble excuse up by the way, someone actually said that in the paper) so she's simply making a point that the boy could hardly have been dangerous, not that she's supporting prejudiced sympathy. Zixin 15 Hong Kong
Franklin, wrote
cant believe after the incident the mother actually said she would understand had it of been a drunk hoodie? i believe she is missing any concept of basic humanity. i find it a disgrace that this could happen in a modern day britain but after comments like that from the mother it leaves me speechless. Franklin 23 Norwich
paul nelson, wrote
As a liberal and a pacifist, I object to the previous comment. I always help anyone in need, be they human or otherwise. Blaming this on liberals is nonsense. If you want to play the name game look to capitalism and right wing ideology which teaches you to only look after yourself and shuns any notion of socialism and helping the less fortunate. This is why we see the Daily Mail constantly attacking the poor rather than the rich who are bleeding our country dry. Shame on everyone who failed to help.
badballie, wrote
This is the society we created, the liberals and the pacifists, those of high and low moral standings. Many people will claim to be caring and compassionate but the truth is few are one or the other even fewer are both. Society has become alienated by government and that alienation extends to each other.
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