The May 30, 2008, Angel Arce incident, in which Mr. Arce was struck by a vehicle as he crossed a busy Hartford Connecticut street, shocked America and the world as the video was played over and over again on various news outlets.  What was shocking was not that the incident was caught on tape, but rather what happened, or didn’t happen, right afterward that was also caught on tape.  It is over a minute before anyone renders any type of aid to Mr. Arce, let alone even checks on him.  The crowd is shown just standing around, seemingly afraid to do anything.  Maybe with good reason.

Fast forward two weeks later and a lawsuit is filed 1,500 miles away in Pasco County, Florida.  The basis of the lawsuit:  Not doing enough to help a choking victim.  According to an April 16, 2008 St. Petersburg Times article, the lawsuit stems from an incident that occurred during dinner between friends.  One of the friends, the invited guest, began to choke.  What did the host couple do?  Gave him a glass of water and called 911.  The choking victim later died in the hospital.  The lawsuit claims the host couple should have done more, like the Heimlich maneuver for example. 

In Connecticut, the bystanders are being crucified by the Connecticut media and the public for not doing anything, whereas in Florida, a couple now has to defend a lawsuit for not doing enough.  Let the debate begin, as to what are our moral obligations to our fellow man and how those obligations conflict with our legal obligations?