Synopsis of the Good Samaritan Laws

Posted by Joseph Franks on March 4th, 2020

It is normal to think twice before helping a stranger struggling between life and death. More than often, the rescue services do not make it in time or reach later than expected; the people nearby are the only hope for one’s survival. The average person will panic at a scene of a car accident and hesitate to do something in fear of enabling a blunder. The Good Samaritan Laws were introduced to encourage bystanders to take a chance and try to save the life of a sufferer; the law protects a person from liabilities as long as he/she is helping out of good will.

Personal Injury Attorney in Orange, CAconveys that the legal protection was limited to trained medical professionals in the past, but now the majority of states have included commoners. Sometimes all it takes is a little common sense in order to keep a victim from dying. Extensive medical procedures are not necessarily the immediate solution, so an untrained person can be of great assistance. For example, helping someone out of a crashed car or providing moral support to someone in shock.

Attributes of a Good Samaritan

The concept of the Good Samaritan sprouts from the Bible story, which implies that a person only fits the description if he/she does not expect any reward against the service provided. The Good Samaritan Law does not cover doctors or trained medics that help injured patients in exchange for a fee. Precisely, if you receive compensation for your help in any way, the law will not apply to your case. The purpose is to act out of humanity, rather than doing a good deed to get paid. Lack of experience (in the department of life saving) does not matter, given that your heart was in the right place and your intentions were pure.

Every person makes mistakes and the chances of error increase in a situation of terror or chaos. Therefore, if your actions do not prove fruitful or have a slightly adverse effect on the victim, you shall not be held accountable in court. Nonetheless, the Good Samaritan Law has boundaries and your intervention may not be deemed reasonable under certain circumstances. If you do something reckless or cause colossal damage, the audience may suspect a negative agenda or perceive you as a troublemaker.

How to be a Good Samaritan

As a responsible citizen, you should be familiar with preliminary medical care. Learning to perform a CPR and taking a first aid class can make you very useful in critical situations. When you find someone in peril, tackle the situation practically instead of attempting to be the hero. If it is clear that you can be of no use, persuade someone who is capable or try to speed up the arrival of professional help. Consider is best to refrain from exercising any technique you are untrained for. If you are somehow successful in retrieving a person’s consciousness, do not assume that he/she is out of danger. Their stability might be temporary, so do not accept any gift in return. Once you receive an incentive, the Good Samaritan Law no longer secures you from a legal charge.