West Virginia § 55-7-26 First responders who use forced entry in response to 911 call; limited immunity from civil and criminal liability

West Virginia Statutes

§ 55-7-26 — First responders who use forced entry in response to 911 call; limited immunity from civil and criminal liability

West Virginia·Ch. 55 ACTIONS, SUITS AND ARBITRATION; JUDICIAL SALE·Art. 7 ACTIONS FOR INJURIES

(a)"First responder" includes: law-enforcement officers, firefighters, emergency medical services personnel and others that respond to calls for emergency medical assistance.

(b)Neither a first responder nor his or her supervisor, agency, employer or supervising entity is liable for any civil damages or criminal liability resulting from a forcible entry of a home, business or other structure if the first responder:

(1)Is responding to a documented 911 call for emergency medical assistance;

(2)Has made reasonable efforts to summon an occupant of the home, business, or structure by knocking or otherwise notifying the occupant(s) of his or her presence;

(3)Has not received a response from an occupant within a reasonable period of time; and

(4)Has a good faith belief that it is nece

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(a) "First responder" includes: law-enforcement officers, firefighters, emergency medical services personnel and others that respond to calls for emergency medical assistance.

(b) Neither a first responder nor his or her supervisor, agency, employer or supervising entity is liable for any civil damages or criminal liability resulting from a forcible entry of a home, business or other structure if the first responder:

(1) Is responding to a documented 911 call for emergency medical assistance;

(2) Has made reasonable efforts to summon an occupant of the home, business, or structure by knocking or otherwise notifying the occupant(s) of his or her presence;

(3) Has not received a response from an occupant within a reasonable period of time; and

(4) Has a good faith belief that it is necessary to make a forcible entry for the purposes of rendering emergency medical assistance or preventing imminent bodily harm.

(c) Nothing in this section shall affect the standard of care a first responder must employ when rendering aid after gaining entry.

West Virginia § 55-7-26 (First responders who use forced entry in response to 911 call; limited immunity from civil and criminal liability) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.