<p>A man battling with cancer unwittingly saved the life of a badly bashed man in New Zealand because he did not want to be guilty of the ''bystander effect".<br /><br /></p>.<p>David Batchelor, who was diagnosed with cancer, was sitting in his car on Central Road in Kingsland, Auckland, in when he witnessed a brutal assault, The New Zealand Herald reported.<br /><br />He picked the victim up off the road and drove him to Auckland City Hospital's emergency department, which police say saved his life. The victim had a near-fatal break to his neck and any movement could have killed or paralysed him.<br /><br />At the time Batchelor, a 22-year-old master's degree student, did not think much of his efforts and only realised how serious the situation he had intervened in was when police released a photograph of him from hospital security footage and appealed for him to come forward.<br /><br />"The street was empty and I was sitting in the car texting. I saw three people walking up the street," he told the daily when contacted.<br /><br />He then saw one of the men assault another. That man pleaded guilty to the assault in the Auckland district court but disputes some of the facts of the case. A disputed facts hearing will be held before he is sentenced.<br /><br />Batchelor said the assault left the victim unconscious on the road.<br /><br />"I waited until the (offender) walked past my car and then I got out to see if the (victim) was okay," he said. <br /><br />He considered calling 111 but decided it was quicker to take the victim to hospital himself.<br />After being diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in September Batchelor was undergoing chemotherapy and not feeling well.<br /><br />But he did not hesitate to help the victim.<br /><br />"Why did I do what I did? I was concerned about the whole bystander effect and I didn't want to be part of that.<br /><br />"And I was the one sitting there who saw it, so I was responsible," he said. "I couldn't just sit there."<br /><br />When he knew police were looking for him, primarily to give a statement to support the prosecution of the offender, he came forward as soon as possible.<br /></p>
<p>A man battling with cancer unwittingly saved the life of a badly bashed man in New Zealand because he did not want to be guilty of the ''bystander effect".<br /><br /></p>.<p>David Batchelor, who was diagnosed with cancer, was sitting in his car on Central Road in Kingsland, Auckland, in when he witnessed a brutal assault, The New Zealand Herald reported.<br /><br />He picked the victim up off the road and drove him to Auckland City Hospital's emergency department, which police say saved his life. The victim had a near-fatal break to his neck and any movement could have killed or paralysed him.<br /><br />At the time Batchelor, a 22-year-old master's degree student, did not think much of his efforts and only realised how serious the situation he had intervened in was when police released a photograph of him from hospital security footage and appealed for him to come forward.<br /><br />"The street was empty and I was sitting in the car texting. I saw three people walking up the street," he told the daily when contacted.<br /><br />He then saw one of the men assault another. That man pleaded guilty to the assault in the Auckland district court but disputes some of the facts of the case. A disputed facts hearing will be held before he is sentenced.<br /><br />Batchelor said the assault left the victim unconscious on the road.<br /><br />"I waited until the (offender) walked past my car and then I got out to see if the (victim) was okay," he said. <br /><br />He considered calling 111 but decided it was quicker to take the victim to hospital himself.<br />After being diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in September Batchelor was undergoing chemotherapy and not feeling well.<br /><br />But he did not hesitate to help the victim.<br /><br />"Why did I do what I did? I was concerned about the whole bystander effect and I didn't want to be part of that.<br /><br />"And I was the one sitting there who saw it, so I was responsible," he said. "I couldn't just sit there."<br /><br />When he knew police were looking for him, primarily to give a statement to support the prosecution of the offender, he came forward as soon as possible.<br /></p>