Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!bellcore!decvax!decwrl!amdcad!lll-crg!seismo!brl-smoke!ron From: ron@brl-smoke.ARPA (Ron Natalie ) Newsgroups: net.legal Subject: Re: CPR, First Aid, & Liability Message-ID: <784@brl-smoke.ARPA> Date: Sun, 9-Feb-86 13:12:39 EST Article-I.D.: brl-smok.784 Posted: Sun Feb 9 13:12:39 1986 Date-Received: Tue, 11-Feb-86 07:20:57 EST References: <2495@gatech.CSNET> <7700001@ccvaxa> <764@ihu1g.UUCP> Organization: /usr/local/lib/news/organization Lines: 28 > > The U.S. Congress had considered this dilemma a number of years ago, and > passed what has been known as the "Good Samaritan Act." I don't know > all the details, but it is a law which limits the liabilities of persons, > including doctors, who stop to render emergency aid in life-threatening > situations. The law was needed because many doctors were refusing to > render emergency aid in such situations, fearing malpractice suits. The U.S. Congress did no such thing. Good Samaritan laws have been passed in nearly every state of the Union, but it has been done by the state legislatures each time. Nancy Caroline, MD in her book "Emergency Care in the Streets" states: Most states, have a Good Samaritan Act to protect physicians, and sometimes others, from legal action resulting from their participation in emergency treatment. The Florida Good Samaritan legislation of 1065 is fairly representative of such acts: Any person, including those licensed to practice medicine, who gratuitously and in good faith renders emergency medical care or treatment at the scene of an emergency outside of a hospital, doctors office or other place having proper medical equipment, without objection of the injured victim or victims thereof, shall not be held liable for any civil damages as a result of any act or failure to act in providing or arranging further medical treatment where the person acts as an ordinary resonable prudent man would have acted under the same circumstances. -Ron