| The Military Claims Act |
| |
| When a person has died, has sustained injuries, or has sustained property damage as a result of the activities of military personnel or civilians who are employed by the military, the person or his or her representative may be entitled to recover damages from the federal government under the Military Claims Act (MCA). More... |
| |
| Governmental Immunity from Suit |
| |
| If a party is injured by some act of a governmental unit, official, or agency, he may or may not be permitted to sue. The reason that he may be barred from suing is because of "sovereign immunity." Traditionally, this doctrine protected governmental units, officials, and agencies from liability based on their tortious acts unless they had consented to being sued. Now, this immunity has been waived in large part and only applies in certain circumstances.More... |
| |
| Liability for a Bystander's Emotional Distress |
| |
| In some cases, a bystander may recover for negligent infliction of emotional distress, even though the bystander was not directly involved in an accident. For example, a wife is walking along a city street. By chance, she sees her husband's car approaching.More... |
| |
| Professional Rescuers |
| |
| A rescuer who comes to the aid of a victim of a peril may be either an amateur or a professional, such as a firefighter or a police officer. With respect to amateur rescuers, the "rescue doctrine" may apply to allow the rescuer to recover against the creator of the victim's peril for injuries that he sustains during the rescue. However, professional rescuers are generally unable to rely on the rescue doctrine to recover for their injuries. Instead, the "fireman's rule" ordinarily prevents professionals from recovering without regard to the negligence of the creator of the peril.More... |
| |
| Federal Tort Claims Act -- Federal Government Employees |
| |
| The Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) applies to claims for personal injury caused by the negligence of a federal government employee who is acting within the scope of his or her employment, under circumstances where a private person would be liable under state law. Therefore, the FTCA applies only to personal injury actions that arise from the negligence of a federal government employee.More... |
| |
