A group of strangers worked together and lifted a bus in Berlin after seeing a man trapped underneath the wheel.
An 18-year-old man was running to catch the bus when he tripped and accidentally got pinned by a tire of the rear axle of a commuter bus in Berlin on September 11. The bus driver saw what happened and immediately stopped the bus to help the young man. About 40 people, passengers and passersby, lined up alongside the vehicle and began to push it.
I saw the men trying to lift the bus, and it was clear to me that I also had to help lift the bus and try pull the young man from underneath. —Frank Kurze, one of the volunteer rescuers
“There was chaos,” Frank Kurze, one of the volunteer rescuers told German news channel n-tv. “I saw the men trying to lift the bus, and it was clear to me that I also had to help lift the bus and try pull the young man from underneath.”
Fortunately, the bus stop in Spandau where the accident happened was near a medical center and two nurses and a surgeon ran to the scene to administer first aid.
“We were at work when we heard screams, and our boss looked out of the window and saw what had happened, and said ‘Take the doctor’s case and run,'” said Sandra Grunwald, one of the responding nurses.
According to n-tv, the man suffered an arm injury and was taken to the nearby hospital where he underwent surgery. He had already been released. A nurse said the man was responsive to them but was confused to what was happening.
Es gibt sie doch noch die guten Nachrichten:
In Berlin wird ein 18-Jähriger eingeklemmt und 40 Menschen heben den Bus an. Mit ihrer Hilfe wurde die rechte Seite des Busses der Linie 135 der Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) angehoben. Der Jugendliche konnte so geborgen werden.… pic.twitter.com/fs2xEGgt8X— Chefhahn🖖🇩🇪 (@chefhahn) September 13, 2023
Berlin police were impressed by the quick action of Berliners who they described as “heroes.” They praised these civilians through X, formerly known as Twitter, where they wrote: “Thank you, Spandau, thank you, Berlin.”
A study by UCLA found that people rely on others for help constantly and being helpful is a deep-rooted reflex in humans.
“While cultural variation comes into play for special occasions and high-cost exchange, when we zoom in on the micro level of social interaction, cultural difference mostly goes away, and our species’ tendency to give help when needed becomes universally visible,” explained UCLA sociologist Giovanni Rossi.
Grunwald was glad she witnessed a proud moment where people help each other eventhough they’re strangers. “I think it’s nice that one can still more or less have trust in society,” she said.
