A man spent hours stranded in the Aussie outback being ignored by passing motorists before a Good Samaritan couple pulled over to render assistance.
Doreen Testa and her spouse, Darryl Spicer, came across a red utility vehicle that had broken down along a road about 20 km from Karumba in Far North Queensland on a Wednesday.
The vehicle’s hood was raised with smoke billowing from the engine and the driver signaling for help. This prompted Ms. Testa to persuade her husband to stop and offer assistance.
All the grateful ute owner needed was water to top up his radiator and he was back on the road just 10 minutes later.
He told the couple that other passing drivers ignored him instead of helping.
One even had the audacity to give the ute owner a one-fingered salute as he drove past.
Although Ms. Testa and her husband didn’t think twice about halting in such a remote area, many people hesitate due to the ongoing issue of scammers feigning distress in the outback.
Last September, a terrifying moment caught on dashcam showed a tradie threatening a man who pulled over to help him.
Doreen Testa and her husband pulled over to help a stranger in need in Far North Queensland on Wednesday. Pictured is the broken down ute
Another driver earlier this year came across three people lying down in the middle of a highway late at night.
However, Ms Testa called for motorists to be mindful and willing to help those in need, despite the risks.
‘I think people are scared to pull over which is disheartening,’ she told Daily Mail.
‘This man was obviously alone, his car was broken down in broad daylight.
“I believe drivers should show compassion when someone is in trouble and consider, if it were them or their children, wouldn’t they want someone to assist?”
Ms Testa said the ute owner was ‘disgusted’ that passing motorists refused to pull over and help him.
Ms Testa said that she never thought at any stage that she would be mugged or in any kind of danger.
‘Whatever happened to helping people in need?’ she said.
Doreen Testa and her husband, Darryl, urged Aussies to have more empathy for motorists broken down on the side of the road
The couple pulled over to help the stranded ute driver near Karumba in Far North Queensland
Many Aussies have given up on helping strangers following a spate of terrifying incidents.
Dashcam captured two men dragging another across the road to stop a driver from passing in Perth.
The footage was shared on social media, where viewers agreed it would have been unwise for the driver to have pulled over to help.
Pulling over to offer help may have put the driver in danger, many said.
Another incident involving a tradie in need in remote Australia ended with the sole driver who pulled over to help being told to ‘f*** off c***’.
The tradie was unwilling to accept any help before the driver in question decided to leave the scene.
However, this does not mean all stranded drivers in need are dangerous, as one woman agreed with Ms Testa on social media.
The woman said when she was stranded ‘at least’ 150 cars had passed her before someone was willing to offer their assistance.
However, on social media, the dangers of offering help to those who seem in distress often overshadow the benefits of being a good Samaritan.
‘We were two women and a dog, obviously broken down, and it was very disheartening!” she wrote online.
‘Sadly, this is becoming the norm… People are just too scared to stop these days.’
On Reddit, one user asked how cautious he should be after footage showed another trio attempting to stop a car at night.
The Aussie said he would always want to help but instances like this made him more cautious and sceptical.
Others said that scenes mentioned previously are ‘incredibly rare’ and that offering help to strangers is a positive thing.
“I’ve stopped to help people in trouble twice because I could never just drive past. Not stopping for someone out there might be a life-or-death situation for them,” a person shared.
Another added: ‘Australia has a very low murder and crime rate. It is normal to help people who have broken down in remote areas.’
A third warned: ‘I’ve travelled through some fairly remote areas and have never come across it. I don’t think travelling at night is great idea, though.’
