Lifeguard saves life; Corporation he works for fires him

[redsamurai]

well...if you don't fire him, now you (the corporation) have taken responsibility for everyone swimming outside of the designated area and, the next time someone drowns in one of those areas, you (the corporation) will get your ass sued off by some douchebag attorney who says that you (the corporation) are responsible for saving everyone now, because you saved the last guy...it's a sad state of affairs...but, blame our litigious society and the ambulance-chasers, not the business owners...they're hands are tied...no good deed goes unpunished.

oh digi I fully understand the corporations position, they absolutely have a point. My point is that patrolling the beach fronts should be a local govt responsability for exactly this kind of situation.

 

[redsamurai]

One stupid corporation doesn't make privatization a bad thing. If so our whole government would be dismantled and privatized.


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but tey're weren't being stupid. They absolutely have a point about the liability issue.

But SD, if there were no rules governing liability then said lifeguard could have looked at someone drowning even in his own sector of responsability and said "nah, not today...don't feel like it had alot to drink last night". Sure the corp would still fire him but there would be ZERO avenues of restitution from someone who entered that area under an implied contract that competent people were on watch. If a little daughter of yours died because some dooshbag got drunk on his job you'd want to kill someone, but I guess somewhere along the line people decided that everybody killing each other over incompetent actions wasn't the best way to a stable society and implimented a court system for grievances to be heard. Dude we figured this one out like 2-3000 B.C

 

[jackangel]

stupid things happen, then people make excuses for stupid things happening, including the legal experts of EF.

 

[nimbus]

what if someone drowned in his designated area because he was off saving some dipshit who swam in the unprotected zone?

lifeguard company would've been sued to shit, and rightfully so. corporations can't be expected to retain employees who don't do their job and become liabilities

in an ideal world the dude who got saved should have to pay the lifeguard some lost wages.

 

[ceo]

What if two people were drowning at the same time? One in this lifeguard's zone, the other outside of it and the lifeguard was informed of both at the same moment and had to choose.

If he chooses to save the one in his zone, he (and his company maybe) gets sued by the family of the other. If he saves the other, he (and very likely his company) gets sued by the family of the one in his zone.

But what would the outcome be? Either way he is likely screwed.

That scenario would have made this story more interesting.

 

[nefertiti]

This is a tough one. I support the corporate decision because I understand the liability issues involved. They kind of have their hands tied.

But if I am in a life saving job, and I see a life in danger, it is my instinct to jump in.

Many of my dive industry colleagues will not travel with anything indicating they are dive professionals because it opens us up to law suits if there are accidents in our presence, even if we are vacationing and not working. I carry my DM card for the opposite reason...I want the people on the boat to know that if there is an incident, I am qualified and able to assist. I place the lives of others above litigation concerns. I am definitely placing myself in a risky position, but that's my choice as an individual. Basically, I get why he did what he did...but I get why he got fired, too.

 

[digimon7068]

oh digi I fully understand the corporations position, they absolutely have a point. My point is that patrolling the beach fronts should be a local govt responsability for exactly this kind of situation.

i actually don't understand it...we have good samaritan laws in this country that are supposed protect people from undue harm (legal or otherwise) when they act on the spur of the moment to render aid to another human being(s) outside of the normal course of business.

 

[shirlene29]

our states good samaritan laws protect off duty dr, nurses and emergency personnel (ff's, cops, emts, medics) here if you stop to render aid outside of the course of both your employer, like minding your own business out shopping and your scope ..the person clearly needs someone more qualified and you treat them beyond hour legal licensure
it always protected layman but it was amended a few yrs back to include trained people that are essentially acting as a regular civilian

which is good because it seems like I've stopped for a few really hairy things

I used to go over medical legal with emt and paramedic students for a few of the instructors in the state..it used to be an incredibly backwards law and some bad case law got it changed

 

[nefertiti]

i actually don't understand it...we have good samaritan laws in this country that are supposed protect people from undue harm (legal or otherwise) when they act on the spur of the moment to render aid to another human being(s) outside of the normal course of business.

This wasn't a case of an individual doing something heroic on his own time. It was a case of someone on the job, tasked with looking after people in a specific area, leaving the people he was paid to protect to assist a rescue ~1500 feet away in an unprotected area. He ultimately put the people under his watch at risk by leaving them unattended.

Also, good samaritan laws might protect him, but they won't protect his employers in future incidents in and around that area.

 

[JoJo1980]

yes we should turn over more civic responsabilities to the private sector. If he was hired by the city of Hallandale you think they'd give a shit where he saved a mans life? For as much govt bureacracy as there is there's an equal amount in the private sector, just nobody wants to admit it. The simple answer is each has their place....patrolling beach's obviously isn't for the private sector. Next time one of those dude's see's someone drowning you think he's gonna run off the plantation to help? nope

I guarantee you they will go help a drowning person. It's not just a job to these people, it's in their blood to help and save lives.