A recent California decision watered down that state's "good samaritan" law and ruled that a rescuer could potentially be sued for causing injury to an accident victim she was trying to help. Many states, including Ohio, have passed "good samaritan" laws, which protect rescuers from liability for negligence when they attempt to aid accident victims. These laws serve a worthy purpose of encouraging people to come to the aid accident victims without fear of being sued.
This decision was a quirky one, based on a narrow interpretation of California law, and it wrongly ignored the purpose and spirit of the good samaritan law, in my opinion. Fortunately, Ohio's good samaritan law is straightforward and would have protected the rescuer had this happened in Ohio. No matter what is happening with California's law, it should not deter good intentioned people from coming to the aid of accident victims in Ohio.
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