Shocking footage of a rower capsizing in a river after crossing the path in a motorboat has divided viewers over who is to blame.
The rower was sailing along Melbourne’s Yarra River last weekend when he got into trouble.
A passerby walking over a bridge filmed the moment the rower capsized in the water after colliding with the boat.
The footage was posted to Instagram, where users were divided over who was to blame.
The response of the boat’s occupants – who did not appear to help when the rower was in trouble – was also heavily scrutinized.
A rower is ignored by three women who see their boat collide with him, but pretend it didn’t happen
Footage showed the rower floating towards the motorboat that had three women on board.
He saw the ship coming close behind him as he tried to change direction and stopped rowing to reel in his paddle so it wouldn’t hit the boat.
The women looked at him but seemed unfazed as the rower slid back before his ship moored the boat.
He quickly pushed the boat to steady himself, but soon lost his balance and fell into the river.
Off camera, a man and a woman could be heard saying: ‘Oh no. Oh no. Oh my God.’
The boat continued on its way as the women on board chatted happily.
“That’s definitely their fault because they didn’t veer off path and he went backwards,” the man said off camera.
The rower struggled to get on board as the three women on the boat looked ahead.
“Oh, look, they drove away without even stopping to say anything or help in the boat,” the man said.
Many social media users agreed that the three women on the boat were to blame.
“Absolutely disgusting behavior from these women,” one person wrote.
A second agreed: ‘WOW THEY KEEP CONTINUE??!’
More people were concerned about the rower’s safety.
Social media users were divided over who was to blame, but most agreed that help should have been provided
“This guy could have easily tipped over into the propeller,” one person wrote.
“They should have a duty of care to turn around as there are bull sharks etc in that water,” another added.
Others questioned the qualifications needed to rent a boat on the river.
“The one who gave the motorboat to these people. Do you even need a license to operate these boats?’ wrote one social media user.
Others, however, felt that the fault clearly lay with the rower.
‘The rower is on the wrong side of the river. It’s his fault and the boat tried to get out of the way,” one person wrote.
Another said: ‘It’s 100% the rowers’ fault. They act like they own the river, but they don’t.’
Some users didn’t care whose fault it was, and felt that help should have been provided anyway.
“No matter who is to blame, they could have at least helped instead of ignoring the problem,” one person commented.
“The fact that they got away without help is horrible,” wrote a second.
At the end of the video, a man on a nearby pontoon could be seen waving to the rower to offer help.