My wife and I had to take our 15-year-old son, who has special needs, to Guy's Hospital for an orthopaedic appointment recently.

We travelled to London Bridge on the 12:12 train from Shoreham. As the train pulled out from the station with a lurch, our son fell over in the aisle and on the way down, smashed his head on a table with a sickening thud.

He cannot talk but the tears welling up in his eyes, the blood trickling from the corner of his mouth and the look of shock on his face showed how much pain he was suffering.

I would like to thank the ten or so passengers who rushed to his assistance and to reassure my wife.

Sadly, the truth is no passengers rushed to assist us. They all chose to ignore what had happened and found something more interesting to look at out of the train window while we struggled to get him back on his feet and comfort him.

What sort of society are we living in where it is easier to look the other way than offer a helping hand? Have we as a nation sunk so low we no longer care about others, especially the most vulnerable?

I hope not. Perhaps it was just an unfortunate coincidence there were ten uncaring individuals in the same carriage at the same time.

-Paul Heward, Southwick