An old woman just fell down in public in front of me, I wasn't sure if it was appropriate to touch her to help her up. While I was debating it over, schoolgirls came to help her up so I walked away.
How can I better maneuver these situations?

>>33247433 (OP)
"Would you like me to help you up?"

>>33247764
I went for "Are you okay?" but there was no response, she just groaned and then people helped here

reminds me of the time i saw a woman in a parking lot get pushed against a car by, presumably, her bf in some apparently hushed and heated couple fight
was about to ask if anything's wrong but i remembered the times women got angry a man stepped in for them in arguments against a man, or a man stepping in when being hit on by a man, or the time a woman snapped at me for asking if she wanted help carrying a pram up stairs and women on the internet getting angry a man hold doors or save them from being hit by traffic, so i just ignored it and drove away

>>33247433 (OP)
I've always been the opposite way. I'm a pacifist by nature, won't physically get in a fight to defend myself, but when it comes to other people, if I see someone in need of help, I will usually move to help before I even properly think it over.

I try to look at stuff objectively. I try to assess if the person needs help, what kind of help they need, and if I myself can help them, or if I'm better helping them by finding someone who can better help them, for example the police or other first responders.

I'm a mandatory reporter, which basically means that if I see something I am legally obligated to say something, which does help motivate me too, but it's always been in my nature to help others.

Just try to remain cool calm and collected when you're in a situation like that. It does take some preparation and practice to keep yourself objective when you're in an emergency situation.

>>33247433 (OP)
Morally speaking, helping her up was fine, but medically speaking it was a good idea to be careful. If she had broken her hip then helping her up wouldn't necessarily have been a good idea. You certainly needed to ask her if she wanted your assistance. And if you ask someone if it's okay to touch them and they say yes, then it's fine.