good samaritan law.

[bigpaul]

i reckon this is a threat AND a risk! http://www.edthatmatters.com/bad-samarit...ikes-back/ i think i'll stick to:" if in doubt, do nowt!"

[Anything Really]

Is this in English law?

[Jonas]

As a paramedic, doing "nowt" will get you in court faster than treating the patient. When in doubt, pay your malpractice insurance premiums on time!

[bigpaul]

(11 May 2013, 16:29)Jonas Wrote: As a paramedic, doing "nowt" will get you in court faster than treating the patient. When in doubt, pay your malpractice insurance premiums on time!

yeah, but most of us ARENT paramedics!

[Jonas]

(11 May 2013, 16:37)bigpaul Wrote:

(11 May 2013, 16:29)Jonas Wrote: As a paramedic, doing "nowt" will get you in court faster than treating the patient. When in doubt, pay your malpractice insurance premiums on time!

yeah, but most of us ARENT paramedics!

I don't know the laws in the UK, but here, licensed medical professionals (EMTs, nurses, physicians) are required by law to stop and render aid. Not stopping and rendering aid is prima facia evidence of gross negligence and you can be sued and lose just about everything you own.

If you are not a medical professional, you are required to call for help and perform such treatment as a "reasonable and prudent person" would perform - like pressure on bleeding. You have no other legal obligations

JP, EMT-A

[bigpaul]

(11 May 2013, 16:48)Jonas Wrote:

(11 May 2013, 16:37)bigpaul Wrote:

(11 May 2013, 16:29)Jonas Wrote: As a paramedic, doing "nowt" will get you in court faster than treating the patient. When in doubt, pay your malpractice insurance premiums on time!

yeah, but most of us ARENT paramedics!

I don't know the laws in the UK, but here, licensed medical professionals (EMTs, nurses, physicians) are required by law to stop and render aid. Not stopping and rendering aid is prima facia evidence of gross negligence and you can be sued and lose just about everything you own.

If you are not a medical professional, you are required to call for help and perform such treatment as a "reasonable and prudent person" would perform - like pressure on bleeding. You have no other legal obligations

JP, EMT-A

most of our population would just stop and stare-not help...not that they'd be any good if they did help! and there are a few types that would just ROB the victim.

[Anything Really]

I would be very nervous about helping someone unless they are in obvious distress. There have been many instances of people feigning illness just to mug them. Its a sad world.

[HideandSeek]

I can't help but help if you know what I mean, its definitely a weak spot of mine. I once saw a bloke fall down about 8 steps onto a concrete floor and literally smash his face up on a busy london platform, no one did anything, but then there's me who goes running over and tries to give the bloke a hand and people started to get funny and weary of me because it's not a usual thing in london anymore, to help one another, they thought there was something wrong with me. In the end the guy was an epileptic and has suffered a random fit.

He could've died.

[bigpaul]

(11 May 2013, 20:18)Anything Really Wrote: There have been many instances of people feigning illness just to mug them.

yes i think this happens a lot in big cities.

[Mortblanc]

This is link of those links where someone that knows nothing about the law and nothing about medical treatment has written an internet blog.

In my state a doctor must harm someone "with intent" to be sued for malpractice. The insurance companies settle many claims prior to trial to avoid court where people that have no training are placed on juries and render huge settlements in spite of the laws. Most of the time these huge settlements are dismissed on appeal, since appeals courts follow the book rather than emotion. The dismissal of the settlements is never covered in the news. The amounts of the settlement are seldom disclosed because they are lower tan the cost of the trial and not the whopping imaginary sums seen in the tabloids.

Most of our laws are written as Jonas has stated and were passed to avoid the "don't get involved" syndrome those lawsuits were promoting. Our God Samaritan Laws also cover any citizen rendering aid. You are protected from lawsuit as long as you did not do anything on purpose you knew would harm the victim.

The case will never get to trial.

It would be the same for caned peaches or jam given to a starving man.

There is a different thought process about this between urban and rural folk, not just U.S. and GB. Here in the rural areas of the States if you try to do a good turn for someone, and they take you to court over your charity, the next thing in line is a couple of phone calls and a good "butt whipping"!