Posted by Rach on August 29, 2001, at 23:03:13
In reply to Re: Duty to Rescue, posted by susan C on August 23, 2001, at 12:17:47
In Australia, you do not have to help a stranger in any way.
If you are NOT trained in first aid, however, you must offer assistance to someone you know, no matter how tenuous the connection (your sister's boyfriend's mother's uncle).
If you are trained in first aid, and you do give assistance that is either against the person's wishes or harms them (ie if you resusitate someone who does not want to be bought back to life, or if during CPR you break the patient's rib) you can be held liable because you are trained. If you don't have first aid qualifications, then you are less liable. For this reason, if you have a first aid certificate, you are not required to offer assistance ever.
Strange, isn't it!
poster:Rach
thread:1753
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20010718/msgs/1844.html