What is a Good Samaritan Law?
The most common type of Good Samaritan Law is law that provides someone with immunity from civil liability (a lawsuit) if you go to someone’s aid who is in need of aid. The law provides protection even if you are in fact negligent and do something to the person accidentally that causes injury. Here is a typical scenario where a Good Samaritan Law would protect you: You arrive at the scene of an accident and see someone who is not breathing. You go to that person and attempt CPR. While performing CPR you accidentally break a person rib. While had you performed the PCR properly you would not have broken the person’s rib, that person may not sure you for the injury as the Good Samaritan Law protects you from that lawsuit. Most of the laws were enacted to encourage people to lend assistance to those in need. Most people in our society are raised with the belief that you should help those in need. However, in our lawsuit happy world sometimes people are reluctant to help if they are not sur
Some states have Good Samaritan laws that shield you from liability when you try to assist someone in need of help. For example, if you see man collapse in the middle of a street and act quickly to get him out of traffic, but in the process unintentionally break his arm, a Good Samaritan law would prevent that person from suing you for breaking his arm. What Type of Behavior Doesn’t Fall under Good Samaritan Laws? Most states allow a victim to sue a Good Samaritan if he acted negligently. For instance, if you dragged the collapsed man directly into a burning building, the law might not shield you from a lawsuit for those injuries because a reasonable person would not drag an injured man into a flaming building. What Rights and Duties Do I have in an Emergency? With the passage of Good Samaritan laws, states are trying to protect and encourage innocent bystanders that are willing to help those in emergencies. • If you didn’t cause the emergency and there is a great risk to your safety,
