Visakhapatnam: Good Samaritans to receive cash reward for saving road accident victim
A file photo of the public chipping in to save a person from a road accident in Visakhapatnam
Visakhapatnam: Saving a road accident victim is often ignored by many as they fear for the legal procedures it invites.
But not any longer as good Samaritans can now come forward without any fear to save road accident victims and also walk away with a cash reward.
In a step to help road mishap victims gain access to immediate treatment within the 'golden hour' and save lives, the government has come up with a scheme for 'good Samaritans'.
With the support of the Central government, the State government will provide Rs5,000 each to those who save the life of a road accident victim by admitting him/her to the hospital.
People need not worry about facing any complication in the process as they need not get into any legal procedure.
In most of the cases, road accident victims would not gain access to a hospital during the crucial period and it often leads to a rise in the number of deaths.
Passers-by prefer to remain muted spectators even if they want to extend support to those battling for life for the fear of entering the police station or becoming a witness to the accident scene.
Though there is a protection for the life savers against the subsequent legal battles involved in an accident case, lack of awareness on the subject often stops people to step forward to and lend a helping hand the moment they witness a road mishap.
In a majority of cases, people prefer to wait until an ambulance arrives or police reach the accident spot.
Sharing details, Deputy Transport Commissioner (DTC) GC Rajaratnam says, "With the cash prize plus no legal formalities involved, more number of persons would be encouraged to save lives of road accident victims without any reluctance. The objective is to bring down the death toll among road accident victims." He appealed to the people to rush such victims to the hospital without any second thoughts.
A committee, comprising district collector, city police commissioner, superintendent of police and district medical and health officer and DTC, will authenticate the good Samaritans for saving the life. Those who come forward to rush accident victim to the hospital need to alert the DTC about the life saving exercise they volunteer to take up.