Special Relationships That Call For Duty To Help

As far as personal injury laws are concerned, you don't have a legal obligation to help people in need. Sure, it is humane and moral to help people avoid injuries, but no government will charge you with failing to help an accident victim (your conscience's torture is another issue altogether). However, there are exceptions to this rule; there are special relationships that demand that you help the other party, and you may be liable for their injury if you don't help them. Here are such examples of relationships:

Parent-Child

Since children are not expected to take care of themselves, it is their parents who are expected to help them avoid harm. Therefore, if your child is hurt in a car accident that you could have helped them avoid, you may be held liable for the child's injuries. A good example is if you don't stop your child from crossing the street in a dangerous area where pedestrian crossing is illegal. 

Employer-Employee

Employers are expected to take care of their employees by providing safe working places. This means an employer can be held liable for letting an employee get injured even if the employer is not the one who caused the injury. A fitting example is if an employer fails to prevent robbers from assaulting an injuring their employees.

School-Student

When schools accept children to their compounds, they also agree to assume the protective role that parents or caregivers offer their children. Therefore, a school cannot just stand by and watch a student get injured because someone else is causing the threat. For example, if a local manufacturer is dumping dangerous chemicals near the children's playground, and the school is aware of the fact, you can sue the school for your kid's injuries if you can prove that they did nothing to protect the kids.

Common Carrier-Public

A common-carrier is a company or person in the business of transporting goods or people for a fee. Examples include airlines, shipping companies or bus companies. When you board a common carrier, you do so with the expectation that you will reach your destination in one piece. The common-carrier is expected to guarantee your safety even for third-party risks. That is why a bus company may be liable for your damages if you are assaulted in one of its vehicles and its employees don't do anything to prevent or stop the attack.

This means accident victims should not look at the obvious defendant when pursuing personal injury damages. If you are injured in an accident, you should consider claiming damages from those who had the opportunity to help you but did not offer the help. You may just succeed if a special relationship exists between you and the party who stood by and did nothing. Consult a personal injury attorney to help you identify everyone who may be liable for your injuries.

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