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Is he a Hero Or Not

grumpygygrumpygy Member Posts: 53,466
edited April 2012 in General Discussion
quote:The Avengers, move over.

Patrick Dempsey played a real-life action hero last week, when, using a crowbar, a fire extinguisher and quick timing, the Grey's Anatomy star pulled a teenage boy to safety after his car flipped over near Dempsey's Malibu, Calif., home.

"I was scared for my life. I was upside down," driver Weston Masset, 17, told ABC News after he lost control of his Mustang, which rolled over three times, trapping and leaving him barely conscious. (Watch the interview here.)

After rescuing Masset, Dempsey, a father himself, called paramedics and stayed by the teen's side as Masset was airlifted to the hospital, where he was treated for a concussion and an eye injury. He is expected to make a full recovery.

Seeing TV's Dr. Derek Shepherd standing before him at the crash site, Masset asked Dempsey, " 'Are you famous?' " Replied the actor: "Yeah, I'm a doctor."

Dempsey, 46, also called Masset's mother to apprise her of her son's situation.

"He had a certain authority in his voice," said a "super-grateful" Mary Beth Masset. "I asked if he was a paramedic and he said, 'No, this is Patrick Dempsey.' I thought, 'McDreamy?' "

Added her son, smiling through the braces on his teeth, "He was there for me. It would have been a lot worse without him."

Dempsey's reps declined to comment on the star's heroics, Robin Roberts said on Good Morning America


Knowing it was Calif and how they like to Sue down there anything he did could have cost him.

Comments

  • Waco WaltzWaco Waltz Member Posts: 10,828 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    He could have been sued?
  • grumpygygrumpygy Member Posts: 53,466
    edited November -1
    Just to Add.

    quote:Van Horn v Watson: Medical Care and Nonmedical Care

    In a December 2008 case, the California Supreme Court narrowed the application of the Good Samaritans statute. In Van Horn v. Watson, the court held that the legislature only intended for the statute to provide immunity to those who rendered emergency medical care at the scene of a medical emergency and not those who provided nonmedical care or assistance.

    In Van Horn, the defendant Lisa Torti pulled her friend Alexandra Van Horn out of a car following an accident. Torti claimed she removed Van Horn from the car because she feared it was going to catch on fire or explode. Van Horn suffered serious injuries as a result of the accident, including permanent paralysis. She claimed that by removing her from the car, Torti had exacerbated her injuries and caused the irreversible damage to her spinal cord.

    Torti claimed she was immune from civil liability for Van Horn's injuries under the Good Samaritans law. The trial court agreed. On appeal, however, the court reversed the lower court's decision and found that the statute did not apply to Torti because she provided nonmedical rather than medical care. The California Supreme Court later upheld the appellate court's decision.

    By narrowing the application of the state's Good Samaritans law, the California Supreme Court sent a message to citizens of the state: to provide help following an accident is to risk civil liability.
  • KEVD18KEVD18 Member Posts: 15,037
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by Waco Waltz
    He could have been sued?




    good samaritan laws only protect you if you stay within the confines of your training/certification/licensure(actual, not tv).

    i dont know if dempsey attempted to provide care beyond basic first aid, but if he did then yes he could be sued.

    he could also be sued(hypothetically) for removing the kid from the car. if he had caused permanent injury, the argument that he did things he wasnt trained for(motor vehicle extrication) improperly caused the injury. theres your proximate cause and heres your big * check.

    also consider he's famous and most likely quite wealthy; so he could be baselessly sued in hopes of a quick settlement.

    keep in mind there is a BIG difference between being sued and being successfully sued. both are expensive, one is just more so and ruins your life after.
  • nmyersnmyers Member Posts: 16,875 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    This rescue is one of the few I have seen where a civilian risked his life to save someone else. I don't see any football or baseball players that I would call heroes.

    Dempsey gets my vote for "hero".

    Neal
  • partisanpartisan Member Posts: 6,414
    edited November -1
    This is like so many of the "HERO" stories. Hell, everybody is a hero these days!! Dempsey wasn't a hero, he was a HUMAN..[^]
  • armilitearmilite Member Posts: 35,478 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by nmyers
    This rescue is one of the few I have seen where a civilian risked his life to save someone else. I don't see any football or baseball players that I would call heroes.

    Dempsey gets my vote for "hero".

    Neal




    I agree.
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