There really is a dizzying array of stuff we can do to get ourselves in legal hot water in EMS. I was considering a few this afternoon and I got this idea.
Let’s play a game. I’ll give you a whole list of scenarios and you match the legal transgression to the act. OK, that was a really boring and overly technical way to describe my game.
I’ll say what they did; you tell me what they did wrong. Sound like fun? I agree. Let’s begin.
Here are all the possible answers:
- Sounds OK to me
- Negligence
- Battery
- Abandonment
- Assault
Jot your answers down on a scrap of paper. I’ll be back on Thursday with my answers and the rationale behind them.
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A Guest Post By: Jimmy Futrelle
The EMT Spot would like to welcome Jimmy Futrelle to our guest post roster. Jimmy s a Paramedic hailing from Scurry County Texas. Jimmy has been 
responding on calls long enough to remember the Lifepack 5 and using D50 as a diagnostic tool. His unique background working for private and public EMS as well as for local law enforcement makes him uniquely qualified to teach on the subject of sexual assault.
This detailed guide to responding to these challenging calls is well worth reading. I sincerely thank him for this contribution.
Responding To Sexual Assault
Introduction
Sexual assault is possibly the most devastating form of assault perpetrated on another human being. The legal definition of sexual assault is “any genital, anal or oral penetration by a part of the accused’s body or by an object, using force or without the victim’s consent.”
The U.S. Department of Justice’s National Crime Victimization Survey reports that over 500,000 women and approximately 49,000 men report being sexually assaulted each year. It is estimated that 1 in 5 women will victims of rape by the time they are 21 years of age. 61% of reported rape victims are less than 18 years old. 1 in 7 women will be raped by their partners. Only 16% of rapes are ever reported to the police.
Let us not confuse sexual assault with sexual abuse. Sexual abuse is repeated instances of sexual assault occurring over a period of time, generally by a person familiar to the victim. Whereas this crime is no less devastating, we are going to focus on the act of sexual assault.
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