(Source: MIRS.news, Published 05/25/2024) Bystanders who attempt to help stop another Michiganders’ bleeding wounds would no longer be held liable, under a three-bill package introduced in the House last week.
The Reps. Carrie A. Rheingans (D-Ann Arbor), Dave Prestin (R-Cedar River) and Mike Harris (R-Clarkston) bills would also require high school health classes to give instruction on how to stop bleeding using tourniquets, bandages and other first-aid equipment.
Prestin said the legislation, which was introduced Thursday, along with a resolution commemorating “Stop the Bleed Day,” would provide protection for people who step up in the critical seconds between an injury and fatal blood loss.
“Seconds count when someone has a major injury,” said Prestin, who has also worked as a first responder for more than 13 years. “A person can bleed out of a major artery within two minutes. Regular people can be the difference between someone dying on the side of the road and getting to see their family again.”
Rheingans said in an emergency, people willing to help should be able to act quickly without having to think twice about possible legal ramifications.
“Good Samaritans who stop the bleed shouldn’t face lawsuits for their noble efforts,” she said. “Our bipartisan plan will empower bystanders to take action and save lives.”
Michigan’s Good Samaritan law, which was first enacted in 1963, provided immunity from civil liability to medical professionals who give immediate first aid or emergency assistance, with the exception of gross misconduct.
The law has been amended several times to also safeguard non-medically trained Michiganders who provide CPR, use automated external defibrillators (AED) in the case of cardiac arrest or administer treatment to opioid overdose victims.
The law does not require that bystanders provide this medical care, however.
Prestin’s HB 5743 would expand the Good Samaritan Law further by also offering protection to those who “voluntarily apply" bleeding control, through pressure, a dressing, packing or a tourniquet.”
Harris’ HB 5741 would then require high school health courses to include both instruction and hands-on training on how to stop bleeding, as part of the Michigan Merit Curriculum’s required half-credit in high school health.
“Everyone can and should be ready to step in during an emergency, stop the bleed and save a life,” said Harris, a retired police sergeant and former EMT. “Proper training equips people with the knowledge and experience to apply bleeding control when the need arises. Incorporating this training into high school health classes will help students learn bleeding control and get hands-on training while they’re young, so they’ll be up to the task if they ever need to stop a bleed.”
Rheingans’ HB 5742, the final bill in the package, would cover liability for health clubs using AEDs specifically.
The bill spells out that health club owners, operators and employees do not have a duty to render emergency services using an AED that they have on the premises. The bills were sent to the House Judiciary Committee.
