American Mother Calls for Good Samaritan Law

The late Michael White

By Bae Ji-sook

Staff Reporter

An American mother sued the Korean government Friday for 450 million won in compensation over her son's drowning in a sauna in a southern city. The bereaved mother claimed that Korean paramedic management was poor and the legal system prevents people from helping others in emergency situations.

According to the Daegu District Court, Stephannie White, 41, has filed a compensation suit against the central government and local South Gyeongsang Provincial government for having ``let her son die due to poor emergency measures.''

The accident took place on May 10 last year, when White and her 14-year-old son Michael visited the Royal Hawaii Sauna in Gyeongsan, near Daegu. He was found unconscious in a pool soon after arriving. Emergency staff rushed him to a nearby hospital and tried to resuscitate him, but the boy was declared dead a few minutes later.

The autopsy found Michael had no external or internal injuries, cardiac problems or brain disorder. Police concluded he ``drowned under suspicious circumstances.''

At the filing, White said Korea's lack of a "Good Samaritan Law", which exonerates rescuers of legal liability in emergency situations, led to her son's death.

``Although the 180-centimeter and 110-kilogram boy was in critical condition in 40-centimeter-deep water, none of the 15 people in the sauna helped him,'' she claimed

She added that the government hurriedly sought to revise the law two weeks after the accident, indicating the Korean government acknowledged a flaw in its system.

The mother also stated ``A paramedic's aid in the ambulance was neither that of a certified doctor nor a lifesaver. The provincial government is responsible for not having provided competent rescuers."

The boy's death has caused controversy, especially within the expatriate community. A candlelit vigil was held in front of the U.S. embassy here and there was a fundraising event for his mother. White, in a previous interview with The Korea Times, vowed to pursue the matter.

[출처 : 코리아타임스]