No One Stops to Help Connecticut Hit-and-Run Victim, 78
Although several people dialed 911, no one stopped to help Angel Arce Torres as the 78-year-old victim of a hit-and-run accident lay motionless, in broad daylight, on a well-trafficked street in Hartford, Conn. The retired forklift operator was on foot, returning from buying milk at the grocery store, when he was struck by one of two cars apparently racing each other in the working-class neighborhood.
“Nine cars pass Torres as a few people stare from the sidewalk. Some approach Torres, but no one gets closer than a couple of yards and no one attempts to stop or divert traffic. About a minute and a half later, a police cruiser arrives, responding to an unrelated call,” recounts the Associated Press, noting that the May 30 accident scene was captured by a streetlight surveillance camera.
The incident has sparked soul-searching in Connecticut and elsewhere.
“These are the disturbing images that have caused leaders to wonder if America has lost its moral compass,” reports London’s Daily Mail in an international article that includes a number of still shots from the security camera footage.
Torres survived, but is in critical condition with head injuries and is paralyzed from the neck down, according to the Courant, a Hartford newspaper. His son has publicly pleaded for witnesses to the accident to come forward.
Additional coverage:
ABC News: “What Would You Do in a Hit and Run?”
