Another "what would you have done thread" Seems like I do these a lot... So, I get home from school today, and I'm wearing my scrubs. As I walk out to get my garbage can from the street, this guy approaches me yelling, "Hey buddy! Hey!". So I wait for him. As he gets closer, the first thing he says is, "Are you a doctor?" I tell him no, and he begins his story. Apparently, he says his car broke down "way over there" pointing to the West from my house. He says he needs to go "way over here" pointing to the East, wondering if I can give him a ride. So, I start to assess the situation. Normally, I would give most people a ride, but this guy seemed weird. First of all, when I asked him a couple times where he broke down at, he couldn't give me an address or an area. Just "way over there!" Same for when I asked where he needed to go - "Over this way a little" Next, his story changed from how he broke down to how he needed to get his keys. Then, I noticed he was wearing a black t shirt, on a 90 degree day (which isn't all that common around here), and supposedly had walked a ton - yet he didn't appear to be sweaty or breathing hard, and was actually smoking a cigarette. Also, I live in a residential area off a main road. I don't know why he would walk into my neighborhood from the main road, and just be walking down the street, and no knocking on doors. If he walked any length like he said he did, he walked past a pretty large motorcycle rally that is in town - not to mention a bunch of stores and a couple gas stations. Just made me feel a bit uneasy. So I told him I needed to run in a minute and change my clothes and talk to my wife. He asked how long he needed to wait. I told him I wasn't sure, a few minutes. He told me he didn't want to sit around waiting outside forever. So I told him, fine, there was a convenience store and a bar up the road, and he could go there and ask for help. --------------------- Would you have given the guy a ride? The area of town I live in is generally safe. Across town, is not the safest of areas as it has its bad parts...
Always assume ur about to be screwed. People prey on ur desire to be helpful. Don't open ur door for n e 1. Don't stop and assist n e 1 unles it is obvious accident bc u witnessed it or u know its not staged, watch ur back when someone is talking to u, they love to distract u and the partner goes upside ur head, off to ATM and then they off u. I always say, sorry I can't help, my brother's in the hospital! I don't have a brother
I would've done the same. If a situation feels shady, I avoid it. I feel like a jerk for not helping these people out, but at the end of the day I gotta look out for myself first.
I would have given him a ride and probably brought some extra cash and my phone and laptop and ipad along.
Christ no. I wouldn't even have given him a minute of my life talking to him. Get off my lawn, scrub.
I would have called the cops to give them a heads up. They could send a patrol car and assess the guy and give him a ride if he was really in need.
I would have told him my brother is a police officer and he's on the way over and that he'd be happy to give him a lift somewhere.
Obviously a con artist/someone looking to take advantage of you when he couldn't give details as to location. Also this is one of the oldest tricks in the book designed to take advantage of people's good intentions to help others in a pinch and play hero. He was counting on you helping and being a schmuck. I'd have gone in, called the police and gotten a gun out.
Yeah, you're probably a pretty busy man, having to constantly scrub dog excretions off your wife and all.
