Good Samaritan

The California Supreme Court has just ruled that a man who tried to save a co-worker can now be sued for his attempt to be a Good Samaritan.

Evidently a group of co-workers were coming home from a party in 2004 when their car was struck. Fearing the car might catch fire one of the men dragged a female co-worker from the car. She is suing him because she is now a quadriplegic. The woman states that she should have been left in the car until professionals came to rescue her. Of course if the car caught fire maybe she would have a different opinion.

So now the question is, the next time you see someone in a precarious situation - a car wreck, someone trapped by a flood or falling building, someone being mugged or raped - do you attempt to assist them, or because of fear of being sued, do you stand by silently and watch?

Will this ruling by the California Supreme Court make people fearful to ever be Good Samaritans again?

One thing is certain, you should check your current state law dealing with Good Samaritan Acts.
I do know that the Federal Government will no longer guarantee Federal employees protection if they perform CPR on a co-worker and something goes wrong. Why offer training if you do not intend to back up your people?

I was CPR certified for 20 years, I renewed my certification every two years and thought I might do some good. However, once the announcement was made that our agency would no longer support us and that we could be liable for lawsuits, I informed my manager that I would no longer be participating. The sad truth is we would like to think that no one would go after us for trying to help them. But the reality is you just can not trust people you do not really know.

Unfortunately, at the end of the day you have to protect yourself and immediate family first. Society is such that we can not always do a "Christian act of kindness" because we never know what we may have to pay.

If you believe that we have an obligation to take care of our fellow man, in a real manner as opposed to a psychological manner, then check your state law regarding the Good Samaritan Act, know if you are protected and then the next time you are in a life or death situation make the decision that your conscience dictates.

Its Common Sense!