When Christopher Stamper died of a prescription drug overdose in 2005, his grandfather asked local authorities to charge the people who were with Stamper that night for failing to call for help.[hat tip: Matt]
But there is no law in Michigan to hold people accountable for not calling 911. So, John Mercer has spent the past 20 months lobbying state legislators to adopt such a law in memory of his grandson, who was 27 years old when he died.
"He was my boy,'' Mercer said recently at his home in Ypsilanti Township. "I raised him since he was 6 months old.''
Mercer's efforts could pay off this summer.
State Rep. Alma Wheeler Smith, D-Salem Township, plans to introduce a "duty to assist'' bill in the Legislature this month that would require people to call 911 in case of an emergency. Violation of the law would be a misdemeanor punishable by six months in jail or a $500 fine. The idea is to encourage people to provide reasonable help, Smith said. The law would protect them from liabilities, she said.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
A legal duty to call 911
From the Ann Arbor News:
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
I agree 100% I Just lost a friend to a similiar situation- except- they broke in to his house found him naked with throw up and diarea- they let him choke on his vomit and partied there for three days before they called anyone, not to mention, they would not answer the door to friends, neighbors,or even the police. He ended up due to the ingestion of vomit, with bacterial pheounia and went into septic shock....taken to emergency room died 11 day's later with family and close friends.
one could guess- none of the people at his house indulging in meth and xanax-cared to even call to ask about his wellfair, nor wish condolence to the family.
I am sorry, but these people SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE....
and so sorry for your loss- and that is awesome to create awareness...there are more sides to the types of effects of choosing to use....
Post a Comment