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Potential first-aiders can be afraid to adminster CPR, over fear of being sued for damages (ref 1, ref 2 "many people are put off [..] for fear of [..] getting sued").

Have there been such cases of people in the USA receiving CPR and suing the first aider who administered CPR? If so, what was the outcome?

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Wilfred Hughes
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  • are you asking specifically about the the broken rib lawsuit, or about any lawsuit relating to a cpr recipient sue-ing the rescuer. I know taking first aid classes you get certified and given a license, in which you are taught to first say, sir im certified in cpr would you like me to continue, then the person says yes or no, or if unresponsive proceed to perform cpr. This was so that it would minimize our chance of being sued after the fact, the certification especially helped as you can prove you were properly trained. so while i don't have a case to show you, it does happen. – Himarm Jan 14 '15 at 22:28
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    this is a commonly heard claim, anyone taking a cpr class will hear this claim. – Himarm Jan 14 '15 at 22:29
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    [Welcome to Skeptics!](http://meta.skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/1505/welcome-to-new-users) You mention "several reports". Please [provide some references](http://meta.skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/882/what-are-the-attributes-of-a-good-question/883#883) to places where this claim is being made. This question, in particular, needs a jurisdiction, to make it answerable. I'm concerned this question is dangerous. Most jurisdictions have "Good Samaritan" laws to avoid people being scared and taking no action, but we need a jurisdiction to prove that. – Oddthinking Jan 14 '15 at 22:31
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    @Himarm: No, I heard the precise opposite. Also, you are taught to give CPR to a person capable of speaking? I need a reference for that one! – Oddthinking Jan 14 '15 at 22:32
  • the good Samaritan laws typically only cover trained/certified people to my knowledge this was also covered in my local cpr classes.(as a lifeguard) so a random person who may have been trained but with no proof can still be subject to legal recourse. The statement covered cpr, Heimlich, AR, and a few other things, basicly asking if they wanted assistance (if conscious) otherwise proceed. some people who cant breath are still conscious and so you wait for a visual sign before helping. – Himarm Jan 14 '15 at 22:33
  • this was back in the early 90S though so the laws may have grown and become more encompassing for people who take action to save lives. – Himarm Jan 14 '15 at 22:40
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    I conclude we really do need a jurisdiction to answer this question. [My local laws](http://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/fragview/inforce/act+22+2002+pt.8+0+N) do not require any certification. – Oddthinking Jan 14 '15 at 23:00
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    @Oddthinking I've tried to make the my claim more precise, is the correct wording now suitable? – Wilfred Hughes Jan 14 '15 at 23:01
  • [Good Samaritan law -- United States](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Samaritan_law#United_States) says that it varies by jurisdiction (e.g. from one State to the next). – ChrisW Jan 14 '15 at 23:11
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    @Wilfred: Neither of your references claim that people have been sued. One explains that Good Samaritan laws exist in the US. The other says "no one has ever been successfully sued in the UK for carrying out CPR". Both claim some people are afraid. If you doubt any of those claims, we can investigate. But an open-ended claim of anyone, anywhere, is unanswerable. – Oddthinking Jan 14 '15 at 23:18
  • Something related was discussed in Dagens Medicin (Swedish medical magazine). The example there was that if you was on an aircraft and the crew asked if there was a doctor onboard. The answer was that many airlines have a form where they take responsibility for any malpractice lawsuits. – liftarn Jan 16 '15 at 08:13
  • This document http://www.resus.org.uk/pages/legal.pdf claims "Although there have been a few cases in the United Kingdom where a claim has been brought against a ‘rescuer’, there have been no reported cases where a victim has successfully sued someone who came to his aid in an emergency." – gnasher729 Jan 19 '15 at 00:37

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