Quote:
Originally Posted by Swimmer
In Massachusetts we have a good samaritan law because of a person who smashed up thier VW one night on route 3 by the Braintree split, if I remember correctly. Car was on FIRE, door was locked, rescuer other wise known as the good samaritan smashed in, punched out, the driver's window, cutting the person's face inside who certainly would have perished from smoke inhalation if nothing else. Cut person sued and the legislature was aghast. They passed a law retroactive to this VW crash protecting this particular rescuer.
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That's exactly why we had the initial law, I remember studying it, but there were still some holes in it that were allowing people to sue good-intentioned people. But, when they updated the law, the wording had the result of the MA legislature unintentionally excluding just about any person with medical training.
Now, I know the state has been trying to resolve that and has been working with the State OEMS department to fix this hole. I found out about the change when I went for my last re-cert. It may already be fixed.
As a quick side story, I was having lunch. The waitress recognized me and knew I was an EMT. She came over and told me a man was choking in the other room. I did what I could until the medics arrived, and once they did, I paid my bill and left. Didn't go back there again. Found out months later that the family tried to sue the restaurant. I have no doubt I would have been made involved too if they knew my name or how to contact me.
One thing I learned way back in EMT school. There are two kinds of EMTs, ones that have been sued and ones that haven't been working long enough yet.