Someone trying to rescue a child left behind in a hot car would be protected by the state from lawsuits, under a bill passed Tuesday by the Georgia Senate.
Senate Bill 34 comes after a number of high-profile incidences in Georgia of children being left in locked vehicles. Among them is the death last year of a 22-month-old boy in Cobb County. His father, Ross Harris, is being prosecuted and is alleged to have intentionally left his son in a hot car to die.
State law already tries to protect emergency responders, saying they should not be liable for civil damages for trying to do their jobs at the scene of an accident.
SB 34 would essentially extend that protection to anyone trying to give emergency care to someone — including an adult — who is “incapacitated or endangered” in a locked motor vehicle.
The bill was approved on a 50-2 vote, and now goes to the House for consideration.
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