Duty to Rescue Law and Legal Definition
Duty to rescue is a concept of tort law and refers to the duty of a person to rescue another who is in a dangerous situation. In the U.S. the concept is not as such included in any statutes. Generally, a person cannot be held liable for doing nothing while another person is in peril. But a moral duty to rescue may arise in certain situations like:
1. where a person creates a hazardous situation; or
2. where a special relationship exists. For example, the emergency worker has a special duty to rescue the public as part of his employment.
