Just a little word of caution if you are running alone.
I had a little accident yesterday. I tripped and smashed my face into a concrete lamppost whilst doing my part for our running club fundraiser for NHS. We are running 5000 miles collectively trying to raise £5,000.
I bounced face first off the concrete lamppost, glasses smashed and flew off leaving me flat out on the floor. 2 separate people walked past me, I was bleeding profusely from my head and nose, shouting for help and they walked past. One even crossed the road. I was so upset.
Eventually a woman stopped but wouldn’t come near me as she worked in a school and didn’t want to catch anything, and then cyclist stopped who was a firefighter. He just jumped off his bike and put me in recovery position and got ambulance. A fellow running club member who I didn’t know also stopped. They stayed with me whilst I drifted in and out of consciousness.
I’m a bit battered with a nasty head injury and sore face, broken nose & 2 black eyes.
Some people are too scared to help others. In case they catch something, but surely they could’ve phoned an ambulance for me? Seems we are becoming scared if our own shadows.
No more solo running for me ☹️ xx
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littlemac24
Graduate10
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That's terrible but also part of human nature. I was involved in an accident where nobody paid attention. Night time, not very desirable part of town and there you go..
I've never run in groups and always carry my driving licence in case they find me in a ditch. You never know.
O how awful, they didn't stop because they were scared they would get Covid 19. Congratulations to the cyclist fireman on your recovery, I am sorry you will be off running for a while. I just hope that you will recover as soon as possible so that you can get back to running.
Oh no, how shocking. I'm so glad someone finally got help for you. I tried to avoid a family who were cycling along the pavement (the road was empty of traffic ) I ran from sunlight into scrub land in the shade and tripped falling flat on my face - no harm done at all but the whole family just cycled past, didn't even look over. Me being me shouted "it's ok, dont worry, I'm fine" not even a blink from them grrr. I'd like to think in the same position I'd stop and at least ask how someone was and phone for help. I really hope you have a speedy recovery. Take care.🤗
What a terrible experience, I am so sorry for you!!! I fell on the run at the end of last year, and although it was BC I found that people were avoiding my eyes as I stumbled past them with my bloody face. It was only after I'd got on the bus that people were kind. I think that people make quick judgements and are generally scared when they see injury, and particularly now when they have been told they shouldn't touch other people. I know it's hard when you need help, through!!!
I hope you make a good and speedy recovery, keep us posted! xxx
Sorry to hear about your mishap. Best wishes for a speedy recovery.
It's good to see you use Strava Beacon. I think all solo runners are wise to use some sort of tracking app. Garmin users can use Livetrack which is free (you have to pay for Strava Summit for Beacon). Another good free option is ViewRanger. ViewRanger is a great free Nav app, especially for trail running. It has a good tracking app. I'm sure there are others as well.
The other App that has been mentioned here before is What3Words. This can give a precise and accurate location to anyone that needs it. All emergency service control rooms are aware of it.
I need to install What3Words. I have an old Garmin too - how does Livetrack work? I run on my own all the time and am usually out in the middle of nowhere for at least some of my run!
Gosh, what a horror story! Poor you - I do hope you feel better soon littlemac. As you say, people may be scared of the virus but how does that stop them from offering you reassurance and calling for help? I am shocked but sadly not entirely surprised. So glad your Good Samaritan turned up to help . Rest up well - healing vibes coming your way. 🙏
Strava summit with beacon is free for 60 days. It enables you to send up to 3 people a text link and they can track you in real time. It sees where you stop etc. The people you send it to don’t have to have Strava either.
You can still talk to someone and use a mobile from a safe distance, no excuse in my book and with a head injury even worse! 😠 Shame on both of them especially the one who crossed the road, wonder how'd they would fee if the trainers were on their feet 🤬👟Hope you recover soon
Hope your face heals up as quickly as mine did (though mine wasn’t quite as bad as yours as my wrist took the brunt of my impact with the house next door).
I'm so sorry you had an accident I hope you've got plenty pain relief. I understand people are afraid to come near but if I'd have seen you in such a state I would have helped without a second thought.
Get plenty rest and take care 😊😊
And a big shout out to the off duty fireman who helped you he truly is a hero
What an awful situation littlemac, that sounds nasty. 👎 Whilst I sort of get people’s concerns about coming close, surely they saw it was more than just a stumble and you really needed help? 🙄 Calling 999 doesn’t even require close contact.
What an awful experience. Glad you are sufficiently ok to write about it afterwards. Hope you fully recover. I also recommend installing What3Words in case you ever need to summon help again.
Absolute nightmare. There is a classic experiment in social psychology that demonstrated the reluctance of people passing by to assist a prone person. Once one person intervenes, often others will then join in. So whilst Covid might have added to reluctance, I'm afraid it's part of human nature.
Only to nurture our own genetic heritage I'm afraid! Humans are not really very nice much of t he time, even though I am a fan of (and try to practice) random acts of kindness.
Yes be positive and you will come back stronger and better x
So sorry to hear that,what a horrible experience & horrendous attitude of passers by. I had a nicer experience that shows there are still people who care, I fainted while out running a few weeks ago, low blood pressure, I had stopped to sit as felt it starting but apparently went down like a ton of bricks 😂 . A lady & her daughter were driving past & stopped & came back to check on me & although didn’t come next to me they called an ambulance, which wasn’t needed but kind of them, and stayed with me talking to me. As it happened an ambulance was passing & paramedic was lovely, checked if I wanted to go to a&e, kept his distance as much as he could but drove me home 🙂. I hope you recover quickly & that you feel confident to carry on running
I’m so sorry that happened to you! The lack of concern from others must’ve been as awful as the accident itself. I suppose it’s fear rather than anything else but even so, unnerving for you, to put it mildly.
I hope you recover quickly but make sure you don’t go back too soon!😎
Oh dear, that's terrible. People are afraid of getting involved even in the best of times, sadly. As a trained first aider, I don't think I could ever walk past someone injured, and it wouldn't be in my nature anyway. I do run alone, but usually early in the morning and have never worried that I might have a problem. My husband always knows where I've gone though and if I'm not back when expected, I'm sure he would send out a search party. Thank God for the firefighter, and pray for swift recovery.
Thank you. I usually run very early when there is no one around and use Strava beacon. It’s probably a good thing I was a bit later it was 9 o’clock ish so a few more people around.
so sorry to hear this, hope you are Ok now. For me one of the joys of running is that I can go whenever I fancy and don't have to wait for anyone else, nor feel stressed about keeping up with them. So to hear this is really sad.
Thank you. That’s why I like to run solo too. I do run with a club in normal circumstances but even then I still love a solo run, it gives me headspace and helps with anxiety. Take care. Stay safe xx
What an horrific experience. There is no excuse for this kind of selfishness. Wishing you a speedy recovery and I am glad the fire fighter stopped. I work for the Scottish Fire & Rescue Service and thankfully this FF put his training to good use.
Gosh the whole episode sounds awful. So glad you are recovering now but terrible that some people wouldn’t help. How amazing that the firefighter turned out and put himself up for you and the fellow runner too. I think fear does rule some people’s actions but hopefully not all. Take care and hope you feel better soon x
Sorry to hear of your nasty accident. Thank goodness you have lived to tell the tale. So sad that our world has come to this, thank god for the fireman that stopped. Take care
Oh my goodness, that's awful...what were those stupid people thinking! They could have called an ambulance and shown some human decency without laying hands on you!
I'm so glad there were some sensible and caring folks about in the end to help you out.
I hope you recover soon and maybe gain confidence for a solo run again in the future...I bring my phone in case of any trip or incident, though that may not have helped this time if you were losing consciousness! Poor you, hope you feel much better after a few days rest 💕
What an awful experience for you. So glad that you're OK, thankfully.
I always run solo and I must admit these scenarios cross my mind, especially on long distances. My hubby and I can see where we are on Google, and Life360, a family tracking app but any help I needed would rely on me being conscious. My phone screen does show hubby's number but I never carry ID either.
I'm disappointed in those who did not stop, very poor show. I'm a great believer that these things catch up with people in the end.
Running is so freeing, it would be such a shame to lose that freedom due to this.
I had a fall yesterday, no one was about, fortunately I was OK. I was a little surprised the people I passed later didn't comment on my scrapes/bloodied leg though 🤣
I'm fine thanks, only superficial scrapes, soon mended 👍🏻 next time I'll follow my own advice and not gawp at the scenery whilst trying to navigate the trails 🤣
Oh that’s awful. So sorry to hear both about your accident and the response of some of the people around. I think you are right that people have become frightened of others. At the same time there is kindness and solidarity and I’m glad you found some of that too! Take care and hope you heal gently.
Aw, Mac, so sorry to hear of your trip and injury. It reminded of the biblical Good Samaritan story and the people who initially walked past. Hope you feel yourself soon. I just read your profile story there also - you have an incredibly story! Fantastic. Get well soon.
Just seen this. What a traumatic experience! I can sympathise - in early Feb I had an accident running a 10k circuit of the town at night time and fell over going too fast down a hill. To be honest I didn't think it was too serious at the time, just a bruise on my hand, so I finished the run. But next morning it was horribly swollen, and I went to minor injuries. It turned out to be not so minor - a nasty fracture of the knuckles on little and ring finger of right hand. Within a week I'd had a 2 1/2 hour operation under general anaesthetic, and was banned from running by the hospital for 8 weeks while the bones healed! Soooo frustrating. I also had to learn to type one-handed and write left-handed.
Hope your recovery is a bit quicker! It did my head in not being able to run.
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