The spectator effect is definitely a terrible thing! I've read some other stories of situations where someone was getting attacked in an area (a big city I think, maybe NYC or Chicago) of an apartment complex. A large number of the people heard and even saw the attack going on in the courtyard but everyone had the same thought "someone else is going to call the police!" and nobody ever did. I don't remember if the person died or not but it goes to show that so many people assume that someone else is going to do something. I think it's absolutely a negative product of our modern society where they constantly reinforce that someone else will do something. Don't be independent or do things for yourself, someone else will.

Other important thing here is the need to be in decent physical shape!