Maria Kouches was taken aback when she saw the doorbell camera footage obtained at her dad’s Freeport, Texas, house after her elderly dad collapsed and was unable to get back up. The 89-year-old man was lying motionless on the porch after a fall when a FedEx driver arrived with a box. The father of Kouches, who has dementia, thought help had come, but he was horribly wrong, and it was all caught on tape.
They try to keep an eye on him, but he still moves about with his walker, Kouches said of her elderly father. It appears that he was attempting to return inside when his leg gave way. He is easily confused and agitated by new things, she continued. However, when her father collapsed, he lay immobile on the porch for 15 minutes until a FedEx vehicle arrived to deliver a box.
As the old guy saw the delivery driver, he felt he would finally receive some assistance. The driver had left the vehicle and was approaching the porch when the old guy started pleading for assistance in getting up, but he got an unexpected reaction. Instead of coming up to the front door, the FedEx driver came to a halt and placed the package some feet away from the fallen guy.
On the footage from the doorbell camera, all that could be seen of the 89-year-old man were his hands and the tops of his legs as he lay on his back on the porch floor, but his calls for assistance could be plainly heard. “A little assistance here, please,” he softly asked. “Give me a hand,” he kindly requests, adding, “I can’t get up.” Yet, rather than assisting him, the delivery driver denies to assist.
The FedEx guy was caught on the doorbell camera going back to his vehicle after plainly seeing the fallen man laying on the doorstep. As the old guy shouts out for aid, he comes to a halt and turns back towards him. He is afraid I can’t do it, Poppa. He is sorry, he says quickly to the old guy before walking away.
However, the unfortunate guy accepted the driver’s statement, saying, “Oh, okay.” The FedEx man drove away after sealing his vehicle, leaving the victim defenceless on the ground. He’d stay on the porch for another ten minutes before his daughter, who had seen what had occurred on the Ring doorbell video, could arrive to him and assist him get back up.
Maria Kouches, who was disturbed by the series of events, rushed to Facebook to voice her displeasure. He didn’t even ring the doorbell or dial 911! Kouches wrote, slamming the seeming uncaring driver. Thank God he’s okay, but what if he wasn’t? she pondered. With everyone appalled, the video rapidly went viral.
FedEx pledged to evaluate the situation and take the right action after receiving the video. They extend their thoughts and worries for the individual shown in this video. Their first focus is the safety of their team members and consumers in the areas they serve, the firm stated in a statement. They are investigating the facts surrounding this event and will take necessary action.
Although I think the delivery driver was frightened to make physical contact because he was unsure what would occur or whether he would get in trouble with his work, there is no reason he could not have phoned for assistance. None. Not a single one. Even if he was concerned about his personal safety or the security of his employment, he could have drove a safe distance down the road, pulled over, and called 911. That’s all there is to it. It’s common sense and civility, both of which are in short supply in our society.
When you see someone begging for aid in a civilised society, you help them. It does not imply you should put yourself in risk. You can protect yourself by calling the authorities. That is the beauty of having an emergency response system. You do not have to “be the hero,” but you must notify the heroes. There is just no reason to turn your back on a vulnerable individual who is clearly in need and walk away. It doesn’t take much to be a nice human being. In this situation, all it took was a phone call.
