Different persons may have different "criteria" for a real man. However, if a man is serious with his job, willing to take up responsibilities and rescue people in difficulty, he deserves to be called a "real man". The following is the story of how Station Sergeant (SSGT) Ip Siu-wai of Sha Tin District Traffic Team, alongside other 17 "real men", saved lives in a traffic accident.
Serious traffic accident
On April 24 this year about 3 pm, it was a sunny day. A patrol car was travelling at the usual speed. The District Traffic Team members and traffic wardens in the car were busy reviewing their duties and discussing the earlier briefings. Everyone was preparing for the next job.
All of a sudden, there were screams for help from a woman. The officers looked out and found a green public light bus stopped on the road with a woman struggling under the left rear wheel. The officers immediately jumped out from their car to help the injured woman.
Right foot in blood
At the scene of a traffic accident, a police officer's primary job is to save lives and prevent the situation from getting worse. Therefore each officer proceeded to do his own job, directing traffic, helping passengers get out of the mini-bus, informing RCCC for attendance by firemen and ambulances, and attending to the injured woman.
The woman continued to scream and tried to pull out her right leg pinned under the wheel. But her attempt only aggravated her injuries. Horrified by the blood on the road, the officers feared her condition might deteriorate. Before the ambulance arrived, they tried their best to stop the blood and comfort her.
Real men come forward
The accident attracted a lot of onlookers. Remembering "unity is strength", SSGT Ip called out to the crowd: "Real men come forward to give a hand." Then more than a dozen of men from both the crowd and the neighbourhood stepped forward immediately. They all gathered on the left side of the mini-bus, followed SSGT Ip's instructions, and lifted up the car, while officers pulled the woman out.
After the accident, many sectors of the community praised SSGT Ip, his colleagues and the citizens who lent a helping hand for what they did in the rescue. Besides praising the officers for their decisive actions, many said the case showed Hong Kong people are very sympathetic and enthusiastic. It is also a shinning example of police-community co-operation.
Stay calm and be witty to save life
SSGT Ip said he spent 21 years of his 36-year service in traffic and witnessed a lot of tragedies and deaths. But what the traffic accident impressed him most were not the horrible scene but the life-threatening situation and urgency. Life is very precious but also very fragile. In making life-saving decisions, officers must keep their cool and use their wit to minimise casualties in traffic accidents.
