CPR Safety Services

"What If" I Don't Respond?

Why should I respond?  Have you ever thought about why or what value your response has for the victim of Cardiac arrest.    Have you thought about it?

What if the victim dies? What if the victim lives a few days in coma? What good has been done by your responding to the emergency?  Don’t we want all victims to live, of course we do.  

However whether they live, die or just hang on, we actually have done a service to the family.

When my mother passed way, we called the ambulance and they went to the wrong address, so I have always wondered “what if” they had come to the correct address?  “What if” is a terrible scenario for a grieving family or spouse? “What if” someone had responded with CPR? “What if” the ambulance had arrived on time?  “What if” a passerby had responded?  Would it have made a difference?  Would my mother have recovered? Would the pain of loss been lessened?

When a first responder chooses not to respond, all the “What If’s remaining.  The concern that all that could have been done was not done.   Closure is an over rated term.  Does anyone ever get closure?  When a responder does not respond, closer never really happens or is available.  The responder when they respond allows a family or spouse a sense of closure because the “what if” scenario is removed.

When a responder responds to a cardiac arrest, they give the family and loved ones a chance to receive closure.  Let’s say the victim of cardiac arrest dies at the scene.  The family knows that all that could have been done was done.  What if the victim lingers in coma or is conscience for a day or for a week, it gives the loved ones a chance to say goodbye and closure is achieved.

A great service is done when we respond to a victim of Cardiac arrest. Wouldn’t you want the same for your loved one?

Don't Do Anything Your Not Trained To Do!  Be Safe!

In today's litigious society, there can be a reluctance to help out in emergency situations. Fear of liability for any misstep can paralyze even the most helpful good Samaritan.

The truth is that each state has laws or regulations to protect the general public from liability during rescues or rescue attempts. Good Samaritan laws only help if the rescuer (or would-be rescuer) is acting without any expectation of reward. In other words, if you are getting paid to rescue then you aren't a good Samaritan. Depending on the state, getting rewarded after the fact can also count as expectation of reward. If you help someone at a car accident and then are rewarded monetarily or otherwise, you may be excluded from good Samaritan protection.

In some states, good Samaritan laws only cover medically trained rescuers (as in California after the 2008 decision by its Supreme Court), while other states extend protection to the general public. The good Samaritan concept is commonly applied in the courts, which means a case going that far may still be ruled in favor of the rescuer who was trying to help. What good Samaritan laws do for rescuers is provide a get-out-of-court-free card. In other words, unpaid rescuers may prevail in court with or without a good Samaritan law, but it's a lot cheaper if they have the protection.

Here are some good tips for staying out of court:

• Take a CPR and FirstAid Course
• Follow your training
• Keep your certification current
• Get professional help for the victim
• Do not accept any gifts or rewards.
       

Good Samaritan laws do not protect you from everything. It is human nature to make mistakes. Good Samaritan laws take this into account and protect helpful citizens if the mistakes made are reasonable.

Since defining "reasonable" is so difficult -- even those covered under the good Samaritan law may find themselves defending a lawsuit. That means "reasonable" is defined by the lawyer.

Recent discussions as to CPR and its practice have caused some to say, “Do something, even if it is wrong,” as in hands only, is not supported by CPR Safety Services.  As I have reviewed many court cases, I would advise that unless you have training and are certified in CPR and FirstAid, you should not act. The Good Samaritan Law needs to be clarified and redefined in most States.

Follow those recommendations above in the bullet points, they are the best way to stray out of court.

 *This tip is not intended to serve as legal advice.