Walk It Through: The Fall on the Sidewalk
A stranger collapses, the duty to give help, first aid and the Good Samaritan rule.
On a downtown sidewalk, an older man collapses and does not get up. A few people walk past.
Two things a person in this spot might do. Picking one shows what the law says about it.
A bystander and a driver at an emergency. Medical professionals, workplace first aid duties and the victim's own claims are not worked through here.
A practice walkthrough, not a prediction of how any real one will go. Legal information, not legal advice.
Words this turns on
Terms with a legal meaning that is narrower than the everyday one. Each links to the definition and the authority behind it.
- Leaving the sceneFailing to stop and stay at a crash that injures someone or damages an attended vehicle. With vehicle damage only it is a misdemeanor of $500 to $1,000.
- Rendering aidThe duty of a driver in a crash to give reasonable help to anyone injured and to notify the police by the quickest means available.
- Serious bodily injuryInjury that creates a substantial risk of death, causes lasting loss or impairment of a body part or organ, or serious permanent disfigurement.
- Duty to assistThe duty of anyone at an emergency to give reasonable help to a person facing grave harm, where it is safe. Failing is a petty misdemeanor.
- Good Samaritan immunityProtection from civil damages for ordinary negligence when giving emergency help voluntarily and without pay.
- Petty misdemeanorAn offense punishable by not more than six months, or not more than $500, or both.