Ok, I’ve adapted this lesson from a Facebook post I’ve made, but I’ve given some thought to explaining some legal concepts that impact EMS and this is my first effort. Please let me know if this is helpful and if you’d like to see other legal topics explained.
Please understand that while I’m a lawyer, I’m not your lawyer and my explanation will be pretty generic, because the law is going to differ in each state.
There are four elements that are required to prove up a negligence case. You must have all four of these for the plaintiff to win their case. Duty, Breach, Causation, and Damages.
Duty — This means that you owe a responsibility of reasonable care to another while performing an action which could cause harm. Generally speaking, duty does not attach until you are either dispatched to the patient or you assume patient care. Abandonment a separate claim/lawsuit that occurs when you assume patient care and relinquish said care prior to being relieved by a provider of equal or higher training/certification.
Breach — In short, this is breaching the standard of care. Standard of care means what an ordinary, reasonable provider of similar skill and experience would do in a similar situation. While we often discuss state protocols, card courses (CPR, PHTLS, etc), textbooks, and expert witnesses, ultimately, these are all factors and evidence that will be assist the fact-finder in the case (the jury in a jury trial or the judge in a bench trial) establish what the standard of care is.
Causation — In other words, did your acts and/or omissions cause the harm to the plaintiff?
Damages — Was there actual harm that can be quantified to the plaintiff? Did the plaintiff suffer physical, economic, or psychological damages that the trier of fact (whether the jury or the judge) can quantify into monetary damages?
As I mentioned at the beginning, you’ve got to have all four of these elements for the plaintiff to succeed with a claim for negligence.
I’m happy to help explain further, but since I’m not your lawyer and, unless you’re in Texas, I’m not licensed to give legal opinions for you, I’d prefer not to discuss specific case(s) that you might’ve been involved in.
Hope this helps!
Wes, this is good. Next I would like to have you discuss standard of care. It is, as you know, misunderstood. Please talk about who determines what it is, how it’s proved, and so forth.
Gene, the other lawyer/paramedic.