Good Samaritan Stunned As Crews Destroy His Car After He Sheltered Accident Victim
Posted January 28, 2009 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
You’ve heard the expression ‘no good deed goes unpunished?’
Sean Carter found that out the hard way.
The 42-year-old was driving his Ford Focus on a stretch of road in Nottingham, England last November 13th, when he saw an accident take place right before his eyes.
The man behind the wheel of a Citroen suddenly lost control in front of him and the car went off the road, flipping three times before finally coming to a stop.
Carter immediately slammed on his brakes, got out of his vehicle and went over to the victim, who emerged from the wreckage limping but alive and apparently in shock.
What happened next would leave Carter in that state, too.
The kind parish councillor gently led the injured man to his car, placing him in the front seat and giving him shelter until help could arrive.
But when paramedics assessed the situation, they determined that the victim might have spinal injuries that could paralyze him, so they were unable to simply open the door to get him out. Instead, they informed the stunned car owner that they would have to rip the roof off his vehicle to get to their patient safely.
The owner watched open mouthed as crews smashed the glass and cut the top of his Focus off with a saw, peeling away the roof like Saran Wrap, before extricating the man he’d tried to help out.
Now, months later, Carter is wondering about his selfless act. He figured the man’s insurance company would pay for the damage. They refused and he had to make a claim on his own policy.
That sent his rates skyrocketing and while they eventually paid him to get a new vehicle, they refused to cover the rates on the rental car he was forced to use in the meantime.
The Good Samaritan now claims the entire affair cost him more than Cdn$1,700 and while he’s trying to get compensation, he’s also wondering if he’d do the same thing again.
Officials explain they were using standard procedures in their rescue efforts and that the safety of the patient takes precedence over a vehicle.
But Carter has since pondered that, too. It turns out the man he rescued wasn’t badly hurt at all, didn’t suffer any serious injuries and was released from hospital the very next day.
Carter’s car, however, was declared dead at the scene. And his reasonable insurance rates? They’re DOA, too.
File photo
