Good Samaritan Laws

[Tex]

Here in Texas, rendering aid to one stranded or injured on the roadway etc. is considered an obligation to the point that Failure to Stop and Render Aid is a serious crime punishable by prison time under certain circumstances. In my travels around the world, I have seen attitudes toward this run the gamut. I was curious how many other jurisdictions actually considered this a crime.

[Merlot Joe]

To the best of my knowledge, it is not a crime here in CA.

Joe.

[♥ COVID-19♥]

Here in NYC, AIDS is rendered to everyone, whether they need it or not.

[Irish Eyes being Moral]

This is another example of government trying to legislate morality. Yeah! When one human being sees another in distress, the HUMAN thing is to provide aid. One shouldn't even HAVE to be legally obligated, one would think that you are inately and morally obligated, and the fact that your government had to codify it in law is sad, sad indeed. On first reading, I thought you were referring to the "Good Samaritan Law" which is on the books in many communities, saying something that if you give a person in distress aid and they die you are not held liable.

Also, keep in mind that there are many many 'laws' on the books which are there only "for show"; a campaigning politician's 'scare' issue; a 'tough on crime' scare issue; many will never even see a courtroom. And many are already codified under more general legislation; the restatement (usually with a cute little child's picture attached) is only to show the current politician's staunch stance as against such shenanigans.

On re-reading, I see this is different. I also see in your description the words "under certain circumstances". This, I think (qualified by the fact that I do NOT live in Texas and am responding only to the facts in this post), is KEY.

Maybe this is in response to "hey! look! they tied a niggar to their pick-up truck's bumper and are dragging him! Cool! Let's watch"

I just realized a revelation!!! The severity of the rules and laws of a land is directly correlated to the severity of the injustice and inhumanity of the people that it applies to!!! There are cruel people here, but they hide it well, and I can promise you, nobody here would find an accomplice to tie a "niggar" to a bumper and drag him; furthermore, nobody who did that would survive more than a few days before being turned in -- we do have standards here in the north, and (more importantly) a much quicker and widespread grapevine, which encompasses the entire spectrum of tolerance; in more rural areas certain cruelties might be more 'acceptable' -- as in 'well, they're just like that'. But a witness to cruelty can be considered an accomplice if they do nothing to stop it or not report it. This is what, I, in my northern ignorance, think this is about.

In sum, I think that not rendering aid to a fellow human in distress IS a crime, against humanity if nothing else; the circumstances attendant judge the severity of the crime. If I (a woman alone (albiet a feisty woman) might not stop on a dark road to render aid to a bloodied man - but I WILL call 911 on my cell phone. However, if I witnessed a car accident on a well-lit road with obvious injuries, I will stop --- not because law requires me to, but because MY law - my conscience - demands it.

Tex, I see your local law as one the politicians use to placate the masses, that will probably never be enforced to its full extent, and even then will be used to punish some asshole who couldn't be prosecuted for causing such stranding. Don't worry about it.

[Tex]

Guest-Irish said:

... This, I think (qualified by the fact that I do NOT live in Texas and am responding only to the facts in this post), is KEY.

Maybe this is in response to "hey! look! they tied a niggar to their pick-up truck's bumper and are dragging him! Cool! Let's watch"...

Tex, I see your local law as one the politicians use to placate the masses, that will probably never be enforced to its full extent, and even then will be used to punish some asshole who couldn't be prosecuted for causing such stranding. Don't worry about it.

I just love it when someone who obviously has never been here doesn't just think they know what's going on, but know they know.

1. Of the three sickos that dragged the black guy from the pickup, two got the death penalty, one got life in prison with no chance for parole. This was with all white juries in the same jurisdiction where the crime happened. Were we not severe enough in dealing with this?

2. The Good Samaritan laws have been on the books in Texas damn near forever and are prosecuted regularly. The "circumstances" part is that if the person stranded is out of gas, etc., the law is not enforced, but if a person is injured and you turn your back on them and keep going, if you get caught you will go to jail.

[Irish Stu]

Tex said:

In my travels around the world, I have seen attitudes toward this run the gamut. I was curious how many other jurisdictions actually considered this a crime.

It is not a crime here and all too often people will not go to the aid of others, though this is more likely in our larger, more impersonal cities than in smaller towns and rural communites. I believe in France a doctor must by law administer ais at the scene of an accident, or if they see someone who is injured or in distress. In the UK many doctors, though by no means the majority, will admit to passing by and not intervening for fear of a malpractice case if their efforts should go wrong, perhaps through improvising due to lack of the necessary equipment to correctly treat the person.

Simon

[♥ COVID-19♥]

Guest-Irish said:

I just realized a revelation!!!

I didn't know they permitted Internet access to the clients at Betty Ford.