The famed architect was hit by a tram in Barcelona and died three days later.

Devastatingly his death was preventable.

The passing pedestrian assumed he was homeless, he had neglected his physical appearance, and delayed providing help.

Eventually, he was taken to a hospital, but the staff could not identify him and, again, assumed he was a beggar. It wasn’t until later that someone at the hospital recognized him as the famed architect who had been working on projects for the Sagrada Família.

But at that point the 73 year old was in critical condition.

A story that serves to remind us that:

1) The impact one’s appearance makes on the willingness of others to help and being conscious to catch this tendency and actively act against it.

2) A culmination of factors having a far greater impact than you’d think and the importance of taking care of individual issues now before they compound becoming critical.