Originally Posted by
Jim from Boston
I would think that stopping at a medical crisis situation could be fraught with hazards and liabilities.
Let's take the two parts here.
First, let's look at the last, since this is the one that scares many people, "
Fraught with liabilities":
Most states have a version of what are called "Good Samaritan Laws." Here's Massachusetts version:
Originally Posted by M.G.L. Chapter 112
Section 12V: Exemption of certain individuals rendering emergency cardiopulmonary resuscitation from civil liability
Section 12V. Any person who, in good faith, attempts to render emergency care including, but not limited to, cardiopulmonary resuscitation or defibrillation, and does so without compensation, shall not be liable for acts or omissions, other than gross negligence or willful or wanton misconduct, resulting from the attempt to render such emergency care.
(This is the section the covers amateurs who provide first aid. Other sections cover professional first responders.)
So, IMO the far more important consideration, "
Fraught with hazards":
Of course you have to maintain situational awareness while rendering first aid.
Is it possible to move someone to a safer location? If it isn't possible, can you or others make the location safer? If you can't, is it safe enough for you to render aid?
But yes, I never thought I would find myself sitting on Mass Ave in Harvard Square. Yet, there I was.
I was with someone we couldn't safely move. Luckily we weren't dead in the middle of Mass Ave, we were "only" six feet out from the curb in front of a bus stop. It was safe enough for me.
-mr. bill