Good Deeds and Good Samaritans

If, heaven forbid, you find yourself in a situation where you are able to provide quick assistance to someone, I hope you can ignore what is going on in California and just go ahead and provide the care.

A couple years ago, a woman pulled her friend from a car wreck and the legal battle is still going on about whether or not she should be liable for the disabilities suffered by the victim.

We often tell people that helping someone in an emergency is the right thing to do, as long as the assistance you provide is within your training, you act in good faith, and are not negligent. But, as it turns out, there may be conflicting laws in certain states and it may not be obvious how 'covered' you are in your actions.

Now, in this particular instance, I think there's more to the story than what can be read in articles such as Sierra Sun. The victim and 'rescuer' had been smoking dope and were returning from a bar, so I'm not convinced the rescuer used clear judgment in her decision to pull the victim from a car she thought might blow up. I don't imagine cars really blow up that often and the normal procedure is to not move a victim unless absolutely necessary to deliver care or if the current situation becomes unsafe. Leaving her sitting in the car would have been the easiest, sanest choice unless there was flame or maybe gas odor.

So, how does this effect Scouts and the rest of us? Well, I see it as just another reason to remain calm and cool in situations so clear, logical decisions can be made. As long as you keep your head and are providing assistance within your training, doing a Good Deed of any magnitude is the right thing to do. Letting the possibility of repercussions inhibit us from offering aid is the worst outcome of these sorts of events.

Scout On