Buzz
It's often said that no good deed goes unpunished. Many brave souls risk their own safety to protect others, yet their selfless actions rarely result in praise or recognition.
For the sake of bureaucracy, personal gain, or simple spite, some individuals are dragged through unimaginable hardships just for attempting to help. Whether driven by jealousy, profit motives, or a system designed to thwart greatness, the mistreatment of these good-hearted people will leave you furious.
10. Oliver Sipple Saved The President, Yet The Media Exposed His Sexuality
Oliver Sipple wasn’t a Secret Service agent or a bodyguard—he was just a regular member of the crowd. He had come out to see Gerald Ford, never imagining that he would end up saving the president’s life.
When a woman in the crowd pulled out a revolver and aimed it at President Ford, it was Sipple who intervened. He seized the assassin’s arm, disarmed her, and saved the president from harm.
The media erupted in a frenzy. Sipple asked them to keep his name out of the headlines, but the story was simply too sensational to ignore. They scoured his life, revealing everything they could about him.
Soon, the media had run out of fresh angles on the story. When it surfaced that Sipple had been seen in gay bars, they took it a step further and publicly outed him on the front page.
The story was actually leaked by Harvey Milk. Milk believed that exposing Sipple’s sexuality would improve the public perception of the gay community, but Sipple’s life was turned upside down. His family found out he was gay when they read it in the newspaper, and they promptly shunned him.
In the end, Sipple’s heroic act left him isolated and alienated from his family. He descended into a deep depression and tragically died from alcohol abuse at just 47 years old.
9. A Lifeguard Was Fired After Rescuing a Drowning Man
Tomas Lopez was on duty at Hallandale Beach, Florida, when an urgent call came in. A man had swum too far out and was now drowning. Lopez immediately sprang into action, bringing the man back to shore with the help of other beachgoers. After performing CPR, they called paramedics, saving the man’s life.
However, when Lopez submitted his report, instead of receiving recognition, he was fired. The company explained that the man had been “out of the protected area,” and the signs clearly stated that swimming outside the designated zone was at one’s own risk. According to company policy, anyone drowning outside this area was to be left to perish.
Lopez’s colleagues were outraged. Six other lifeguards spoke out in his defense, telling both the company and the media that they would have acted the same way and that Lopez deserved an apology. In response, the company fired them as well.
8. Veronica Cherwinski Was Arrested After Saving Her Friend From A Heroin Overdose
Veronica Cherwinski had already lost one friend to heroin, and now, she was at risk of losing another. Her neighbor was unconscious on her couch, suffering from an overdose, showing all the signs Cherwinski had seen before. Determined not to lose another friend, she called 911 and stayed with her until help arrived.
Cherwinski’s call ultimately saved her friend’s life. But instead of being praised, the officer who responded chose to arrest her. He searched her home for heroin, charged her with possession, and locked her up.
The arrest was illegal. A state law granted immunity from drug charges to anyone attempting to save someone from an overdose. Despite this, the police sergeant stood by his officer’s actions.
According to the sergeant, he tells his officers to “make the arrest and let the situation play out” when unsure. Neither the judge nor the court-appointed defense attorney bothered to investigate whether Cherwinski was protected under the law.
Reporters at The Providence Journal took up Cherwinski’s case. When the legal system failed to protect her, they proved that she couldn’t be charged and secured her release.
By that point, however, it was too late. Cherwinski’s drug tolerance had diminished in prison, and no one made an effort to help her change her habits. Shortly after her release, she used again. Unaware that her tolerance had changed, she overdosed and tragically passed away.
7. A 90-Year-Old Man Was Sentenced to Jail For Feeding the Homeless
Arnold Abbott was working with two Christian ministers to provide food for the homeless outside a park in Fort Lauderdale when police arrived. They slapped handcuffs on the 90-year-old man and informed him that he would face a $500 fine and 60 days in jail for feeding the homeless near a park.
Fort Lauderdale had recently passed a new ordinance that made it illegal to share food with the homeless within 152 meters (500 ft) of a residential area. Abbott typically set up his booth near a local park, and it was likely his booth that attracted attention. One person in favor of the law complained that Abbott's booth drew the homeless and their “god-awful smell.”
Abbott continues to feed the homeless. However, to cover the fines the city keeps imposing on him, he has resorted to selling his blood. Despite the obstacles, Abbott remains resolute, declaring, “I’ll keep doing it for as long as there’s breath in my body.”
6. Target Sued Three Men For Saving a Young Girl’s Life
Leon Walls’s rampage began on the streets. Walls, a homeless man who appeared to be out of his mind, approached a group of men he didn’t know and stabbed one of them. He then fled into a nearby Target store.
The injured man and two of his friends chased after Walls, desperate to prevent him from hurting anyone else. But by the time they found him, he had already taken a 16-year-old girl hostage at knifepoint.
They attempted to reason with him, but when Walls began stabbing the girl in the ribs, they acted quickly. One man tackled Walls from behind while the girl’s mother pulled her to safety, and the other men subdued him. The girl survived, but without their intervention, she would have died.
Rather than commending them, Target decided to sue. In an apparent attempt to limit its liability, the company argued that the men who stopped Walls were responsible for his actions because they had pursued him into the store.
“I really don’t understand,” the girl’s father said. “We certainly hold these men in the highest regard for what they did.”
5. A Couple Was Arrested For Discovering Meth In A Rental Property
Michael and Channel Keeley were arrested for doing the right thing. After discovering that the tenants renting their home had been arrested for meth possession, the Keeleys went to the property to clean it up and prepare it for the market. While there, they found eight bags of meth hidden inside the walls of their damaged home.
The Keeleys immediately reported the discovery to the police. However, for reasons unknown, the officers assumed it was all part of some elaborate scheme. “Tell the truth,” one officer snapped. “We know no one broke into your house. You did this yourself.”
The officer then arrested the couple for “tampering with evidence”, because apparently, finding evidence and immediately handing it over to the police is considered tampering. They were thrown into jail and faced the threat of having their nine-year-old son taken into child services.
After the situation became a media frenzy, the police eventually dropped the charges. However, the couple still spent two days in prison, paid $5,000 each for bail, and saw their son traumatized by a law enforcement officer—all because they tried to do the right thing.
4. A Man Sued Maryland General Hospital For Saving His Mother’s Life
At 83, Beatrice Weisman was recovering from a serious stroke at Maryland General Hospital when she suddenly suffered a heart attack. The medical team acted quickly, using CPR and a defibrillator to stabilize her heart and save her life. For a brief moment, they thought they had been heroes—until Weisman’s son filed a lawsuit against them.
What the hospital didn’t know was that Beatrice’s husband had signed legal papers stating that his wife should be allowed to die if her heart failed. Beatrice and her husband had prepared advanced directives long before this happened.
In their urgency to save her life, the hospital staff neglected to check if anyone had signed a legal document allowing the patient to be allowed to die in such circumstances. The document was actually at the top of her chart.
Later, Beatrice’s son filed a lawsuit against the hospital for $250,000, along with an additional $180,000 for each year that his mother continues to live. These sums reflect the costs of her ongoing care both in the hospital and at home. The lawsuit accuses the hospital of negligence, assault, and the 'intentional infliction of emotional distress.'
This situation presents a complex moral dilemma with no clear solution. Beatrice’s end-of-life wishes were unintentionally disregarded by well-intentioned people who saved her life. However, her quality of life is far from that of a healthy individual. And this is not what she desired. Without the lawsuit, neither the hospital nor the individuals who saved her life are accountable for her ongoing care. If she has no funds, what will happen to Beatrice?
She sustained broken ribs and collapsed lungs as a result of the attempts to save her life. When she was discharged a few months later, she was confined to a bed and reliant on a feeding tube and catheters. Her family had to pay for 24/7 care and intensive physical therapy out of pocket.
Now, Beatrice is able to live at home, eat meals, and attend church on Sundays. However, she still requires round-the-clock care and suffers from dementia, which leaves her confused and fearful. Her son says that Beatrice is enduring great suffering and frequently questions why she is still alive.
3. Peng Yu Was Sued For Helping An Elderly Woman
Incidents like this don’t just impact an individual. They can reshape the behavior of an entire culture. That’s certainly what occurred in China after Peng Yu was sued for assisting an elderly woman who had fallen.
Peng Yu witnessed Xu Shoulan fall while she was getting off a bus. He quickly rushed to help, took her to the hospital, and gave her the money he had on hand to assist with her medical bills. But instead of being grateful, Xu Shoulan filed a lawsuit against him, accusing him of having pushed her.
There was no evidence to support Xu Shoulan’s claims. In fact, several witnesses testified that Peng Yu wasn’t near her when she fell. Nevertheless, the judge declared that 'no one would, in good conscience, help someone unless they felt guilty' and ordered Peng Yu to pay her the equivalent of $6,076.
This case didn’t only affect Peng Yu. In the aftermath, people throughout China became too terrified to assist anyone who had been injured because a legal precedent was set that allowed injured individuals to sue the very people who tried to help them.
One of the most heartbreaking stories occurred in 2011 when a two-year-old girl was struck by a car while 18 people watched helplessly. None of them attempted to help, each too afraid they might be sued like Peng Yu. In the end, all 18 individuals walked away, leaving the child to die.
2. A Woman Sued Her Doctor For Diagnosing Her With HIV
In New York City, Dr. Pavel Yutsis was examining a patient who thought she had a vitamin B12 deficiency, but during the tests, he discovered something concerning. He found signs that she might have HIV and recommended further tests to confirm his suspicions.
The woman rejected his advice, insisting she was in perfect health and attributing her unexpected weight loss to other factors. 'I’m slim, trim, and sexy,' she quipped, adding, 'If I turn sideways, I’ll be marked absent.'
Despite her objections, Dr. Yutsis proceeded with the test. When she came in for a follow-up visit, he delivered the news that she was HIV-positive. This diagnosis provided her with an opportunity to seek treatment, but instead of showing gratitude, she sued him for conducting the tests without her consent.
The woman's lawyer spoke to the media after filing a lawsuit against Dr. Yutsis, stating, 'The stress of undergoing the test would have been more damaging than simply not knowing,' claiming 'terror, confusion, embarrassment, and emotional distress.'
1. Ryan Snodgrass Was Arrested For Saving A 13-Year-Old Girl’s Life
Ryan Snodgrass, a rafting guide in Clear Creek, Colorado, was working when he saw a 13-year-old girl struggling in the water. After her raft capsized, she had been swimming for over half an hour, and the entire town had been searching for her. Snodgrass, however, was the first to spot her and immediately sprang into action.
Without hesitation, Snodgrass dove into the water, rescued the girl, and brought her to safety. He then informed Sheriff Don Krueger that the search efforts could be called off, as the girl was now safe.
However, instead of expressing gratitude, Sheriff Krueger arrested Snodgrass. It seems that the sheriff, eager to be the hero himself, claimed that by saving the girl before he could, Snodgrass was 'obstructing government operations.'
Once the media caught wind of the story, Sheriff Krueger agreed to drop the charges, but only on the condition that he still maintained a positive image. He told Snodgrass that he would only drop the charges if Snodgrass publicly apologized and stated that Krueger had been right all along.
As a result, Snodgrass was forced to issue a statement expressing regret for saving the life of a young girl. If he hadn't done so, he would have faced jail time.
