Don't collapse on China's subways - you'll be on your own.
A foreigner fainted on a Shanghai subway car around 9:30 p.m. on Aug. 9. At first he just seemed to be leaning on the passenger on his right, but then he fell to the ground as the train braked for its station stop.
The passengers around him, rather than being good Samaritans, fled, causing the entire car to be evacuated within 10 seconds. Someone yelled "accident" which prompted a near stampede.
By the time the subway attendant arrived at the scene, the foreign man, Caucasian, had regained consciousness and was able to exit the train.
This isn't the first time riders have overreacted to an issue.
In February, a passenger's phone started to emit smoke and someone yelled "Fire." This led to people fleeing the scene, tripping and dropping their belongings on their way out.
This skittishness is the result of several public attacks in Chinese cities in recent months.
Accidents from subway panics have also occurred in Guangzhou and Beijing.
A Shanghai subway operator told Liberation Daily, the local newspaper, that the stampede of passengers was often more dangerous than the events that sparked them. When polled, 30 percent of the respondents said they too would have reacted the same way.
The subject, however, has been one with heated debate over Chinese social media and has prompted the nation to rethink its approach.
This is not the first time a person in need of help has been ignored and the issue brought to the spotlight in China. Another was the case of Wang Yue, a 2-year-old girl who was struck by two vehicles and ignored by at least 18 people before she was helped by a garbage collector. The girl died from her injuries eight days later.
China is, however, trying to improve its Good Samaritan policies. Last year, the Chinese city Shenzhen implemented China's first Good Samaritan law. It protects people from becoming liable if they are trying to help another person in good faith.
Previously, some people who came to the aid of a person who had fallen or was in need of help have been accused of causing the accident themselves. In this kind of environment, it's no wonder help is hard to come by.
