Fransisca Yofie Could Have Been Saved by First Aid: Doctor

By Yuli Krisna on 10:16 pm Aug 19, 2013
Category News

Bandung. Activists say the government needs to educate the public on the importance of first aid following revelations that murdered Bandung woman Fransisca Yofie had been left to bleed for over an hour after being found by local residents.

“The government, including police, should educate the public and give them training to improve their awareness and response to any crime or acts of violence,” said M. Jaya, founder of local organization the Crime Prevention Community.

Results from an autopsy conducted on Sisca shows she initially survived the attack but eventually died of blood loss, suggesting she may have been saved had appropriate help been given immediately.

Aside from suffering from extensive bruising and an open wound on the back of her head, she also suffered a stab wound on her forehead, a forensic team from the Hasan Sadikin Hospital in Bandung said.

“There are many veins in the head that [if severed] can cause major bleeding,” team leader Noorman Herryadi told the Jakarta Globe on Sunday.

Reza, 30, who lives near the crime scene, said he saw Sisca being dragged and eventually abandoned by her killers at the Abra Cipedes Field in Bandung on Aug. 5.

He and a few other people approached the victim, who was still alive, but decided to leave her be due to fears they would be blamed as the perpetrators if they touched the victim.

“We were scared, because the police hadn’t conducted a reconstruction. We decided to wait until the police came, we were scared they might think we did it,” he said.

But after 90 minutes, police had still not arrived. Onlookers then decided to help Sisca and take her to hospital using a nearby resident’s car.

“I helped carry her body while she was still breathing. There was movement in her nose, her hands covered her wounded chest,” Reza said. Sisca died on the way to the hospital, which was a 15-minute drive from the scene.

“They should have immediately given her help and taken her to the hospital while she was still alive,” Noorman said. He said Indonesians were by nature reluctant to involve themselves in such incidents, but needed to understand the importance of doing so.

Jaya said the residents’ fear was understandable, but added they should have prioritized wellbeing over legal concerns.

“If a crime victim was still alive, how can you let them die just because you think helping would ruin the crime scene?”

  • Roland

    I did observe in the past a similar issue here in Indonesia after a car accident which gladly did not end with the death of the victim. I was even held back by local people when I wanted to give a bit of first aid to the profoundly bleeding victim of a motorbike accident almost in front of my house door.

    I don’t really believe though that it is in the actual nature of Indonesians to be reluctant but that is rather rooted in the amateurish and bullying behaviour of the police force to indeed treat instantly anybody, regardless of the fact that they actually just wanted to help, as a suspect. This is also one of the reasons why it is in any case so hard to find for example witnesses for crimes committed or accidents even if there have been dozens watching it taking place. And not only the police, any form of state authority in Indonesia is being looked upon by Indonesians with suspicion, and sadly to say, in many cases this suspicion has its roots in real misbehaviour by law enforcement and justice…

  • Ucok

    Because the police knew there wouldn’t be money in it!

  • Ucok

    Henk-People will be reluctant if it is involving criminal case, especially murder. Police suddenly will be mean bully to your normal life and there is possibility to put you as a perpetrator if you are in weak position.
    It is common secret that police in Indonesia is literally professional, meaning you must pay them to do their job. You can ask any person you know in your neighbourhood if you live in Indonesia. I guarantee they will correlate police with money. Chief of Police is naive if he doesn’t know about this bad reputation but nothing is done to fix it.