OMAHA, Nebraska – It was the final day to get her money back.
“That was an expensive part. It would only have taken me a few moments.”
A busy Saturday afternoon with errands just before one o’clock.
“I don’t really leave the house a whole lot.”
Khadija Provencher had no idea that trying to return a $60 dryer part would land her in the hospital.
“I was screaming at the top of my lungs: ‘Help me! Help me! “Please help me!” Provencher explained.
The 71-year-old claims a man rushed her, grabbed her keys, pushed her down near the driver’s side door, and sped off.
“There was nothing I could’ve done.”
But she wonders if someone nearby could have.
“I landed on my left side in a mangled heap. “And no one came over.”
First Alert 6 spoke with the man who dialed 911. He claims he was standing nearby when the carjacking occurred in the handicap spots.
“And I’m looking at the store, and they’re just standing there.” Provencher explained.
The 911 caller informed me that it was a case of the “bystander effect,” in which people are less likely to help when others are present.
Provencher didn’t expect anyone to put themselves in danger, but she hoped someone would take action.
“I remember being in my twenties. I saw a girl being accosted and stopped it because I hollered at the guy.”
She is now recovering from a broken leg, but not a crushed spirit, with only a reminder.
“Say something.”
First Alert 6 has contacted Omaha Police about this case to see where the investigation stands. OPD did not respond.