Maybe in your country. My understanding of the Good Samaritan laws here (which may be woefully out of date, I admit it) is that it is illegal to stop rendering aid once started, until the situation is resolved, but not to refuse to render aid.
If you don't have a clue what you're doing it is better to do nothing other than call for help. A good friend was headed to a party with another friend in a separate vehicle (a car). My friend lost control of his cycle, went off the road and into some bushes, the other friend stopped, pulled him out of the bushes, then took off his helmet.
As soon as he got to the hospital he noted he couldn't feel his legs. It turned out he became a quadriplegic that night. He died from a serious infection related to the quadriplegia 12 years later. I have never stopped blaming the other friend because the EMS told the injured PARALYZED friend his injury was probably made irreparable by the fact the other friend took off his helmet. Heck, I would never have taken off his helmet and I don't even ride a motorcycle. I feel like my friend died because the second (ex-friend) tried to help when he should have left things alone. This leads to a subject for another poll, should well-intentioned STUPID people be punished for being STUPID?
He was just lucky I wasn't a hot-tempered pistol-packin' vengeful sort of guy. My injured friend said he didn't feel any hostility toward the guy who probably caused his paralysis so I have tried to put it out of my mind too but haven't had a lot of luck. I always thought it was common knowledge not to move a person if you know have any idea what the extent of their injuries are.
[1 point]144 days ago by ChipmonkReplyEdited 144 days ago by Chipmonk
You can not do any more than you're qualified to do. That is, you wouldn't remove the helmet or anything of the sort. You just keep the person warm and attempt to immobilize while waiting for the emergency crews.
[1 point]144 days ago by HauliReplyEdited 144 days ago by Hauli
I would stop only if I am first or one of the first on the scene, thus I can be of help. I think that often people stop just to get a good look at what actually happened because they are curious/nosey...if there is blood and trauma - man have they got a story to tell at work tomorrow. Its terrible and causes a hindrance to emergency personnel trying to get to the injured.
it SHOCKS me when i have heard in the hills before an SOS whistle signal, and my family have commented on it, and not even contemplated acting on it. shocking.
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It's illegal not to if no emergency response people have arrived yet. Morally, I think it would be my responsibility.
Maybe in your country. My understanding of the Good Samaritan laws here (which may be woefully out of date, I admit it) is that it is illegal to stop rendering aid once started, until the situation is resolved, but not to refuse to render aid.
Here you render aid until the emergency crews arrive and they take over for obvious reasons.
In the UK, i believe that there are no laws to stop and help someone, and alot of agencies advise you NOT to, for reasons of your own security.
i disagree with this, however, i cannot decide whether i would stop and help someone or not, becuase this message has scared me out of it so much!
they just keep you from being sued--http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Samaritan_law
Who cares what ´the law´ says? I would stop anyway, even if it was against the law.
This is my opinion too - even though as i said above, agencies in the Uk have scared people out of doing so.
it is worrying.
If you don't have a clue what you're doing it is better to do nothing other than call for help. A good friend was headed to a party with another friend in a separate vehicle (a car). My friend lost control of his cycle, went off the road and into some bushes, the other friend stopped, pulled him out of the bushes, then took off his helmet.
As soon as he got to the hospital he noted he couldn't feel his legs. It turned out he became a quadriplegic that night. He died from a serious infection related to the quadriplegia 12 years later. I have never stopped blaming the other friend because the EMS told the injured PARALYZED friend his injury was probably made irreparable by the fact the other friend took off his helmet. Heck, I would never have taken off his helmet and I don't even ride a motorcycle. I feel like my friend died because the second (ex-friend) tried to help when he should have left things alone. This leads to a subject for another poll, should well-intentioned STUPID people be punished for being STUPID?
He was just lucky I wasn't a hot-tempered pistol-packin' vengeful sort of guy. My injured friend said he didn't feel any hostility toward the guy who probably caused his paralysis so I have tried to put it out of my mind too but haven't had a lot of luck. I always thought it was common knowledge not to move a person if you know have any idea what the extent of their injuries are.
You can not do any more than you're qualified to do. That is, you wouldn't remove the helmet or anything of the sort. You just keep the person warm and attempt to immobilize while waiting for the emergency crews.
I would stop only if I am first or one of the first on the scene, thus I can be of help. I think that often people stop just to get a good look at what actually happened because they are curious/nosey...if there is blood and trauma - man have they got a story to tell at work tomorrow. Its terrible and causes a hindrance to emergency personnel trying to get to the injured.
You have "rubber necks" in your part of the world too. Heck, I thought only nosy Americans acted that way. Duh. o.O :(
the UK too.
it SHOCKS me when i have heard in the hills before an SOS whistle signal, and my family have commented on it, and not even contemplated acting on it. shocking.
I would probably not stop in South Africa, fearing a jar-jacking trap.
It's the law in Germany.
and it should well be!