An elderly man hanging from one of the doors of a P6 bus in Havana fell from the vehicle on Tuesday afternoon, sustaining injuries to a leg that was severely damaged after being run over by one of the bus's tires.
The incident -initially reported by the news portal La Tijera- occurred on the central street Cristina, between Arroyo and Matadero, near Cuatro Caminos.
"The man was assisted by some passersby who pulled him from under the bus, applied a tourniquet to his leg to control the bleeding, and put him in a car that stopped to take him to the nearest hospital," according to the mentioned source.
The police arrived at the scene and told the driver to continue on the route, stating that nothing had happened.
"What a terrible value of a life in Cuba!" concluded La Tijera.
In a later post, the same source reported that the man who was run over was hospitalized at "Miguel Enríquez" (La Benéfica) and has shattered the tibia and fibula of his left leg.
The injured man has been identified as Nelson Brison Beaumont, a resident of the Centro Habana municipality.
At the same time, the internet user identified on social media as "Generosidad Cristiano Jerusalén," who was a direct witness to the accident and was among those who assisted the injured person, confirmed the information provided by La Tijera.
"The driver of bus P6 #613, who was driving at 6:43 p.m. on January 14, 2025, violently struck Mr. Nelson Brison and fled the scene of the accident," he explained in a Facebook post.
Cristiano Jerusalén emphasized that "Nelson was thrown off the bus after being robbed of his phone, and all those who were on the same bus heading home showed not the slightest bit of humanity, quite the opposite... So much pain," he concluded.
In a heart-wrenching video, the witness detailed the scene and lamented the inhumanity of most of the passengers and the very driver of the bus, desperate to continue their journey rather than assist the injured.
This Wednesday, a relative of the elderly man, identified as "Mory Cabrera Brison," expressed her gratitude and disappointment on social media.
“Thank you all for the well wishes, my uncle is already with the family at the hospital. I am here feeling disappointed until I know that some action has been taken with the driver, as of course we will take steps for that,” she pointed out.
He took the opportunity to thank independent media that "help to spread awareness of injustices and also assist in locating aid, family, and friends of those affected."
As of the closing of this note, there are no further details about the clinical progress of the injured party, but the incident has sparked extensive discussion on social media.
The lack of empathy and institutional responsibility has sparked a wave of criticism on social media.
The comments cover a wide spectrum, from those who blame only the transportation crisis for what happened and exonerate the driver, to those who believe that both the driver's attitude and that of the other passengers was inhumane and unacceptable.
"The blame lies with those in charge for the lack of transportation in the capital. It's impossible to travel, even just to get to work. It's not the driver's fault nor the fault of that man desperate to get home," noted an internet user.
Others lashed out at the police for their indifference: “That police officer who told the driver to leave, saying that nothing had happened, is a disrespect. Isn’t the person who was run over a human being?”
"The driver is trying to solve the problem of not leaving anyone stranded because then nothing else will happen. But in the end, the poor guy will pay for this chain of blame," noted someone who defended the driver.
There were also those who blamed the injured person for what happened because he was hanging onto the bus.
"Everything is the result of a failed government system", declared someone, getting to the root of the problem.
The lack of resources, the indifference of the authorities, and the deterioration of human values are part of a reality that strikes daily at the Cuban people.
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