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What is The Texas Good Samaritan Law?
February 09, 2017

What is The Texas Good Samaritan Law?

by Jim Adler

Posted on February 9, 2017

If you are an individual, who is not a medical professional, and offer help out of compassion and in good faith, you may be protected by the Texas Good Samaritan law.

Did you witness a car accident and rush to help an injured person? If so, you are what Texas law considers a “Good Samaritan,” stemming from a Christ parable in Luke 10:33 of the New Testament about a man who helps a stranger in distress. By Texas law, such persons are generally exempt from lawsuits by the injury victim.

However, if you were the car crash injury victim and a so-called Good Samaritan injured you while lending aid, you may be able to sue that person within the bounds of Texas’ Good Samaritan law.

That law generally protects those who try to help an injured person at an emergency scene. They may try to help a victim get out of a vehicle (fire could be a danger after a crash) or even offer medical aid at the scene. Their liability in an injury lawsuit depends on this law.

Texas Injury Lawyers Know Good Samaritan Law

Each state has its own laws about Good Samaritans and their liability after an accident or emergency. The Texas injury lawyers at Jim Adler & Associates’ offices in Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Channelview know the Texas Good Samaritan law well.

They know that Texas law tends to protect Good Samaritans from claims of negligence when they intervene after a car wreck or other accident by providing immediate medical assistance at the scene.

The Texas Good Samaritan Act holds that “A person who in good faith administers emergency care at the scene of an emergency or in a hospital is not liable in civil damages for an act performed during the emergency unless the act is willfully or wantonly negligent.”

What does that mean? It means if an individual provides help in an emergency situation, that person cannot be sued unless they are clearly negligent. Texas’ law for Good Samaritans is thus designed to encourage people to help in an emergency by protecting them from liability.

Exceptions to Texas Good Samaritan Law

As with many laws, there are exceptions to the Texas Good Samaritan law, which has been revised many times since it was first written. These exceptions mean Good Samaritans who offer aid in an emergency are not exempt from liability if:

In general, such exceptions to Texas’ Good Samaritan law are medical professionals or persons seeking compensation or payment for aid they render in an emergency. If you are not such a person but rather an individual citizen offering help out of compassion, you may be protected by the Texas Good Samaritan law and be exempt from liability.

The Texas Good Samaritan Act thus protects persons who simply provide help out of their own generosity when someone needs immediate assistance in an emergency situation.

More Protections of Texas’ Good Samaritan Act

Additional protections provided by Texas’ Good Samaritan Act include:

Get A Free Case Review Today!

If you need more information about Texas’ Good Samaritan law as it pertains to emergencies such as auto accidents, notify the Texas-based car accident lawyers at Jim “The Texas Hammer” Adler’s law offices in Houston, Dallas, San Antonio or Channelview.

Perhaps you were injured in a car crash, and then you were further injured by a person who rendered aid with wanton or willful negligence. If so, you may have an injury claim within the bounds of the Texas Good Samaritan law. Consult a car accident attorney with Jim Adler & Associates today and get the legal help you need.

About Jim Adler

Jim Adler, also known as The Texas Hammer®, is an American trial attorney and owner of Jim Adler & Associates. He has been practicing law in Texas in the area of personal injury for 54 years.

Jim Adler graduated from the University of Texas School of Law where he received his Juris Doctor degree (J.D.) in 1967.

Jim Adler is a member of the State Bar of Texas, American Bar Association (ABA) and American Trial Lawyers Association. He is licensed to practice in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and U.S. District Courts of Texas. Read More

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