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Bystander effect blamed in death of elderly man 

An elderly man who fell down in the street and was ignored by tens of bystanders before a car hit him has died in Yuhuan county, Zhejiang Province, surveillance video revealed.

The footage showed a total of 23 people passing the unnamed man in the eight minutes between his fall and being struck by the oncoming vehicle.

Some bystanders were seen looking at the man for a few seconds before passing him by.

The man died at the scene.

The driver of the vehicle claimed he was unaware he had hit anyone until onlookers flagged him down. He immediately called police.

A local official said the deceased was a well-known drunk who often extorted money from those who helped him, the People's Daily reported on its official Sina Weibo account.

This incident ignited another round of debate over the reluctance among the public to help senior citizens in distress.

A 2006 case in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province set precedent after an elderly woman sued a bystander named Peng Yu for medical fees after she escorted her to the hospital.

The woman insisted that Peng had knocked her down, and a court found Peng at fault, Zhejiang Television reported.

"We really don't have the money to help old people who take a tumble on the road. Look at what happened to those kind-hearted people who bring old men to the hospital and pay for their fees, never expecting the money back," a Net user wrote.

"This is part of the negative influence of Peng's case. It's a social tragedy. Seniors in trouble won't get help while bystanders are becoming increasingly indifferent to them," posted another Net user.


Newspaper headline: Moment of netizen