Alphecca

Volunteers Should Quit!

Via Overlawyered, a story beyond the pale... From an editorial in the Register-Guard (OR):

Three years ago, 15-year-old Elijah Keller of Redmond slipped and fell while climbing a cliff face on the rim of the 300-foot-deep Crooked River Canyon. Keller plummeted 25 feet before landing on a four-foot-wide ledge that kept him from plunging all the way to the base of the gorge.

He was badly hurt in the fall, but was conscious when volunteers from the Crooked River Ranch Rural Fire Protection District arrived on the scene. Rescuers rigged ropes and rappelled down the cliff face to reach Keller, using chain saws to clear a path through the thick sagebrush...
...
... But less than 30 minutes after arriving at the hospital, Keller died from critical head and internal injuries. His parents, Michael and Patricia Keller, believe the rescuers did not properly secure their son to the basket before attempting to remove him from the ledge.

They allege in a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Portland that Elijah's "head fell sharply down to his chest during the lift up to the side of the cliff." The Kellers are suing the people who tried to save their son for $9.5 million.

Here's how 9-1-1 should start responding to calls:

"Oh, you're stuck on a mountain peak? Life's a bitch."

"Oh, you're having a heart attack? Sucks, huh? Drive yourself to the hospital or call a cab."

"Oh, your house is on fire? How awful, try some water."

I'm serious, folks; is that the only way we're going to get some tort reform in this country? Many states do not permit civil suits against "good Samaritans" but apparently they do permit litigation against "professional" volunteers. Maybe if all of these volunteers simply stop offering their brave, kind-hearted and un-compensated services, maybe some national legislation protecting them will be introduced.