What would you do?

[McDonald]

An elderly lady lives in the next village, she clearly has mental health difficulties. Her cottage is on the main road and she's frequently seen at her front door wearing her dressing gown. He demeanor is invariably bewildered.

Today about three miles from her home, I saw that she was being put out of a car on a garage forecourt and the driver was about to drive away. She was in the now familiar dressing gown and looked bewildered.

I blocked the exit to the forecourt and quizzed the driver. He was a mini-cab driver. He'd picked her up but said she didn't know where she wanted to go, he'd been driving her around and now discovered that she had no money. So he'd put her out of the car and was driving away.

I did the wrong thing. What would you have done?

 

[Wighty]

I would have done what you did , informed the driver of her address , if he left her there I would have called the police to arrange her return home , and then tried to report the mini cab driver to someone ?

 

[McDonald]

I would have done what you did , informed the driver of her address , if he left her there I would have called the police to arrange her return home , and then tried to report the mini cab driver to someone ?

You're wiser than me. What I should have done is taken his registration number and asked for his private hire license number and made sure that his license was revoked. Then I should have written to my local paper so that the driver was shamed for his heartless behaviour. Lastly I should have alerted social services so that her care might be reviewed.

 

[vtaylor78]

I think you definitely have to report your findings to the relevant authorities.
The poor individual is clearly an accident waiting to happen.
And report the driver if you have the details, I’m sure the garage where he tried to drop the lady would have CCTV.

 

[Wighty]

You're wiser than me. What I should have done is taken his registration number and asked for his private hire license number and made sure that his license was revoked. Then I should have written to my local paper so that the driver was shamed for his heartless behaviour. Lastly I should have alerted social services so that her care might be reviewed.

It's always easy to plan after the fact , I've got the benefit of stating my actions whilst sat on the couch

 

[McDonald]

I asked the woman where she wanted to go and she gave her home address. I told the driver that he was obliged to get her home. He said he'd been driving her around and she had no money to pay. I asked how much he thought she owed, including the journey to get her home, he said it was almost £20.00. I gave him the £20.00 and instructed him to see her safely home.

It was stupid of me. He'd collected this woman from her home. He could see how she was dressed, so he should have made sure she had the means to pay before driving her anywhere. She was his responsibility. His lack of humanity just kills me. He'd have left her wandering and vulnerable miles from home because he thought she owed him a few pounds. I did say to him, 'You'll be old one day.' But I'm kicking myself because I let him get away with it, didn't note his number and can't report his conduct.

 

[Blobcat]

Very easy to be wise after the fact, what you did is still the very nice thing to do and so much more than many would have done.

He will get old one day and karma has a way of coming back to haunt.

 

[Crispian]

If you suspected her of not being of sound mind,I would probably have informed the local plod.

They would/should have put her in the best care.

Tough call.

 

[Wighty]

I asked the woman where she wanted to go and she gave her home address. I told the driver that he was obliged to get her home. He said he'd been driving her around and she had no money to pay. I asked how much he thought she owed, including the journey to get her home, he said it was almost £20.00. I gave him the £20.00 and instructed him to see her safely home.

It was stupid of me. He'd collected this woman from her home. He could see how she was dressed, so he should have made sure she had the means to pay before driving her anywhere. She was his responsibility. His lack of humanity just kills me. He'd have left her wandering and vulnerable miles from home because he thought she owed him a few pounds. I did say to him, 'You'll be old one day.' But I'm kicking myself because I let him get away with it, didn't note his number and can't report his conduct.

Have you got a dashcam that you have forgotten about ?

 

[McDonald]

Have you got a dashcam that you have forgotten about ?

No, I've never used a dashcam.

I was expecting trouble from the driver when I blocked his exit, but the old lady looked so lost. My focus was on her, but I should have been tougher on him. Instead I paid him for being an arse and watched them drive away.

 

[umblecumbuz]

People often seem heartless.

I guess, if I knew the woman, I would have made a priority of driving her home.To me, the most important aspect would have been to get her into a safe, familiar environment. If I'd had the forethought, I would also have reported the cab driver, but once I'd seen her safely home I would then have informed the relevant authorities.

How you would react to what is essentially an emergency situation is a very individual thing, isn't it?

 

[Binnedit]

Oh what a horrible situation. Pretty sure I would have done exactly as you did, at the time.

What a sh*tty thing to do - abandoning her like that.

Well done for helping her out - restored faith in humanity

 

[Wighty]

Oh what a horrible situation. Pretty sure I would have done exactly as you did, at the time.

What a sh*tty thing to do - abandoning her like that.

Well done for helping her out - restored faith in humanity

Absolutely !

 

[daibevan]

You responded with compassion in an unexpected situation, of course you did the right thing.

 

[McDonald]

People often seem heartless.

I guess, if I knew the woman, I would have made a priority of driving her home.To me, the most important aspect would have been to get her into a safe, familiar environment. If I'd had the forethought, I would also have reported the cab driver, but once I'd seen her safely home I would then have informed the relevant authorities.

How you would react to what is essentially an emergency situation is a very individual thing, isn't it?

Just to be clear, I've never met this woman before but I've seen her as I've driven past her cottage. The recognisable factor is that she's always wearing her dressing gown and seems disoriented. I guess she's a classic example of 'Care in the Community.' I understand that mini-cab drivers aren't social workers, but this one was quite prepared to just dump her out of his car, miles from home, knowing that she didn't have the capacity to get home or to report him.

 

[ioweddie]

The garage will have cctv...What you did was fine on the spur of the moment....hindsight is a wonderful thing...if you know her address...why not contact social services and tell them the story and of your concern

 

[McDonald]

The garage will have cctv...What you did was fine on the spur of the moment....hindsight is a wonderful thing...if you know her address...why not contact social services and tell them the story and of your concern

Good suggestion, thanks. I will.

 

[peterws1957]

Good suggestion, thanks. I will.

I wouldn't worry about what you didn't do - you did exactly the right thing, good on you. If you want to go one step further I would speak to local social services and tell them what happened. You'll probably find that they are already aware of this lady, but current legislation means that their potential involvement could be limited. As others have said what goes round comes round as far as the taxi driver is concerned. Abysmal behaviour.

 

[sonic]

Certainly contact Social Services, then may not be aware of her condition.

 

[Andy.M]

How on earth did you do the wrong thing???

That was an act of pure human kindness.

The only defence I can give the cab driver is that he may be on the breadline, desperate, having a bad day and this "mad" woman was the final straw to break him. But having said that, a heartless thing to do.

I agree you probably should tell the appropriate agency about her general demeanor and sleep well tonight