A few days ago I ran into an elderly woman who I'd seen once in awhile around town. I was sitting on a bench using my phone when I saw her short, stout form approaching pulling a very full hand cart.

Looking expectedly at the spot next to me, I motioned her to have a very welcome seat. Heaving a weary sigh as she sat down, the pungent smell of a long unwashed body wafted in my direction.

As I told to enjoy taking a load off of her feet, she informed me that the supermarket manager had banned her from his store, but said that she could shop at any other outlet except his. I was sure her strong odor had something to do with it.

She then asked me if I could go and look at the market bulletin board to see if anyone had left a flyer for home cleaning services, as her landlord had told her that she needed to "show progress" in cleaning her unit.

She offered me a pen and paper, but to be honest, she smelled so bad that I didn't want to take it. I declined, and then she half-sobbed that she needed to contact a cleaning service or she would be evicted!

But I told her that I would go look and type any numbers into my phone and come right back.

I did that, and found her a few good local home cleaning services for her to call.

Before I go any further, know that I'm an empath, and in my teens I'd have simply volunteered to go over and spend hours cleaning her house or apartment for her for free. But nowadays here in America, a good Samaritan can't be too careful.

So I did think about going over and helping her out, but then thoughts of what could go wrong entered my mind. Picture me helping her out, and then she thinks something went missing and now the police are called. Or she's mental, and thinks I'm some intruder who's about to attack her.

Scenario after scenario played out in my head, as here in the states, the police have shot and killed completely innocent people in their own homes. The thoughts of no good deed goes unpunished just wouldn't go away.

So I played it safe and gave her the phone numbers.

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

If this were England (my favorite country), or somewhere in western Europe or Australia, it might have been a different story. But to those of you from overseas, the following news stories offer a cautionary tale for taking good Samaritanism too far.

Lisa Torti thought she was doing a good deed by pulling her friend out of the wreckage of her car, and ended up being sued. Her girlfriend Alexandra Van Horn, ended up being paralyzed after the rescue effort, and accused Torti of being too rough in pulling her away from the wreck.

On Reddit, a trained swimmer shared his story of noticing a woman drowning off shore. With no lifeguard present, he took the initiative, jumped in the water, and swam out to save her from drowning.

And what did he get for his lifesaving good deed?

She sued him for not carrying her to shore fast enough.

Crazy right?

But it turns out that many Good Samaritan laws have protections for medical personnel, but not for innocent bystanders such as the two mentioned above.

In my state, Section 8332.0 - Title 42 - PA General Assembly says in part:

Emergency response provider and bystander good Samaritan civil immunity.

(a) General rule.--Any person, including an emergency response provider, whether or not trained to practice medicine, who in good faith renders emergency care, treatment, first aid or rescue at the scene of an emergency event or crime or who moves the person receiving such care, first aid or rescue to a hospital or other place of medical care shall not be liable for any civil damages as a result of rendering such care, except in any act or omission intentionally designed to harm or any grossly negligent acts or omissions which result in harm to the person receiving emergency care or being moved to a hospital or other place of medical care.

Notice that bolded section mentioning GROSSLY NEGLIGENT ACTS OR OMISSIONS above?

That's enough to give you pause.

So I'm sitting there and imagining a possible false accusation or medical emergency leaving me somehow liable. So I followed the path of least resistance in getting her information about a cleaning service.

I hope things worked out for that woman, but in this country where Stella Liebeck successfully sued McDonald's for the coffee being too hot, one has to be a careful good Samaritan.