we are social animals. I wonder if the rubbernecking might not be a sort of dumb limbic expression of concern but not really knowing what to do about it (or even knowing there is nothing to be done). I mean, wouldn’t it be somehow even worse to just walk by as if nothing were happening?

Although yes: picture-taking is pretty disrespectful and gross.

Once, when driving through a snowstorm, I saw someone — the DRIVER — holding his camcorder out the window, taking pictures of all the jackknifed trucks.