Quote:
Originally Posted by troutman
The first thing out Tort professor told us in first year law (sadly) was not to assist someone in trouble because you could end up getting sued yourself.
That is where Good Samaritan laws come in:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Samaritan_law
A good Samaritan doctrine is a legal principle that prevents a rescuer who has voluntarily helped a victim in distress from being successfully sued for wrongdoing. Its purpose is to keep people from being reluctant to help a stranger in need for fear of legal repercussions should they make some mistake in treatment.[2] By contrast, a duty to rescue law requires people to offer assistance, and holds those who fail to do so liable.
In Canada, good Samaritan acts fall under provincial jurisdiction. Each province has its own act, such as Ontario[6] and British Columbia's[7] respective Good Samaritan Acts, Alberta's Emergency Medical Aid Act,[8] and Nova Scotia's Volunteer Services Act[9] Only in Quebec, a civil law jurisdiction, does a person have a general duty to respond, as detailed in the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms.[10][11] |
I remember that.
Things have come a long way since then, but I recall at the time when I took a first aid course for various volunteer work that I did that the First Aid instructor literally told us:
"If you see someone who needs help and you're in the United States, ignore them and just keep going."
He did specifically state the US, not Canada. I think every province has some sort of 'Good Samaritan' statute? Not sure about that.