Can you get sued for attempting to administer CPR?

[Mag_seven]

Split from:

A lot of rumours get banded around. Yesterday I was told you'd be sued for doing CPR if it resulted in a broken rib.

Is this true or just an urban myth?

 

[Horizon22]

Pretty sure I was told it's an urban myth on a 1st aid course, but this was over 5+ years ago.

The Social Action, Responsibility and Heroism Act 2015 generally protects people against this, and cases would probably be thrown out if you were genuinely trying to save someones life.

 

[swt_passenger]

I’ve undertaken first aid training as long ago as 1979, and although much advice changes with time, I have always understood CPR when done properly runs a significant risk of broken sternum or broken ribs.

 

[olddriver]

If you do CPR and don’t break a rib, you’re not doing it properly.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Generally the presumption, though there's no specific law, is that a Court is unlikely to find against someone who was doing their best to save a life within the remit of the training they have received for doing so.

And yes, if doing CPR a broken rib is a very likely outcome. You do have to press quite hard.

 

[adc82140]

Nobody, ever, has been sued in the UK for attempting CPR.

Theoretically somebody could try, but it would get nowhere near a UK courtroom, and the might of the Resuscitation Council would see to that.

Unfortunately there is a lot of misinformation on this subject, which probably contributes to this country having one of the lowest, if not the lowest, out of hospital cardiac arrest survival rates in Europe.

Question: how to you know whether to start CPR? What if you aren't sure?

Answer: Start CPR. If you don't need to do it, your patient will soon tell you to get off.


Disclaimer:
I won't speculate on what could happen on the other side of the Atlantic, nothing would surprise me there.

 

[jon0844]

If you were in the USA, you'd likely tell someone to stop because you can't afford the ambulance or treatment. The patriotic thing to do is die.

I do think a reason this myth refuses to die (sic) is because people are scared in such situations and would like to convince themselves that the reason they didn't try and help is because they didn't want to be sued.

No matter how many times it is pointed out that you won't be prosecuted, there is always one person who seems to appear on a chat/forum/page to say they know someone who was.. but obviously they can never provide evidence. It's just 'trust me, bro' stuff that social media is so good at.

 

[dosxuk]

Most of the legislation that would cover this sort of injury against another person requires intent or recklessness to be proven in order to secure a conviction. That isn't going to happen when someone is attempting to perform CPR because they genuinely believed it was necessary.

 

[Lewisham2221]

It's about 5 years now since I was on a first aid course. He was very quick to point out the following:

• The being sued for breaking a rib during CPR thing is a perpetual myth
• If someone has a suspected broken bone or suspected spinal injury and they require CPR or putting in the recovery position to keep them alive, keeping them alive trumps the usual rule of not moving them!
• In a proper life or death emergency, don't panic about doing everything perfectly.
• "I'm not insured to give first aid to a customer/member of the public because I've only done a first aid at work course" is also nonsense.

 

[DarloRich]

No. Who would sue?

 

[Lloyds siding]

No. Who would sue?

Someone who otherwise would be dead....now that's ingratitude!

 

[adc82140]

Someone who otherwise woud be dead....now that's ingratitude!

And that pretty much sums up everything in a succinct way.

 

[Exilem]

UK answer here.
In order to successfully sue the claimant would have to demonstrate that you owed them a duty of care and that a breach of that duty of care led to harm. That would be very hard to do and correlates with a previous assertion that nobody has been previously sued in the Uk.
Rib fractures are a recognised complication of CPR but good quality CPR leads to a higher likelihood of survival.
Rule of thumb. If somebody is in cardiac arrest call 999 and do your best to help them. The 999 call handler may well talk you through what to do.
This was from the British Heart Foundation if you want something memorable to remember.

 

[Snow1964]

When I did a first aid course, the instructor said broken ribs might happen, but they can be fixed, however if the person dies because didn't attempt CPR then they can't be fixed.

It is more a myth that a defibrillator will have handily be installed near where a heart attack occurs, and from memory, he said it's more likely to be 10-25 minutes before someone (or ambulance crew) comes with one, and if don't start CPR then it will often be too late.

 

[JamesT]

Nobody, ever, has been sued in the UK for attempting CPR.

Theoretically somebody could try, but it would get nowhere near a UK courtroom, and the might of the Resuscitation Council would see to that.

I note that many articles say no-one has been successfully sued in the UK, which does give the implication that someone has tried.

CPS criticised for dropping assault charge after officer allegedly gave CPR while man was awake

John Sutherland says he was conscious when Sam Wilks gave ‘excruciating’ chest compressions

www.theguardian.com

A leading academic of English literature has criticised prosecutors for dropping an assault charge against a police officer who allegedly gave him forceful chest compressions meant for a heart attack victim while he was awake.

John Sutherland, 86, emeritus Lord Northcliffe professor of modern English literature at University College London, fell ill on a London underground train in May 2023.

An off-duty Metropolitan police constable, Sam Wilks, performed chest compressions on Sutherland, meant to revive a stopped heart, breaking a number of ribs.

Then at the end of the article

Sutherland, both of whose parents were police officers, plans to sue the Met and has formally complained to the CPS about its conduct.

 

[WelshBluebird]

It is more a myth that a defibrillator will have handily be installed near where a heart attack occurs, and from memory, he said it's more likely to be 10-25 minutes before someone (or ambulance crew) comes with one, and if don't start CPR then it will often be too late.

This has defo started to change in at least some places. The pub 4 mins from my house has one on their outside front wall aswell as the school at the end of my street and at the train station nearby too. Granted I am in pretty urban Bristol, but even my parents in the much more rural welsh valleys have several within a few minutes run. Really worth checking out sites like DefibFinder.

note that many articles say no-one has been successfully sued in the UK, which does give the implication that someone has tried.

You technically can try to sue someone for anything, it doesnt need to actually have any merit.

 

[Bayum]

You would be extremely unlikely to be successful to win in court. Generally, the defence would have to prove that you were not acting in the claimant’s best interest and that you were unsuitably qualified to be doing compressions. When the ambulance service give instructions to bystanders and callers on how to deliver effective compressions +/- rescue breaths, again, you would find this very difficult to argue against.

 

[JamesT]

You technically can try to sue someone for anything, it doesnt need to actually have any merit.

Though even an unsuccessful litigation can be a harrowing experience for those on the other end.

 

[WelshBluebird]

Though even an unsuccessful litigation can be a harrowing experience for those on the other end.

My point is you can be sued for anything. For acting. For not acting. Because the person doesnt like you. Etc.

 

[Lloyds siding]

I note that many articles say no-one has been successfully sued in the UK, which does give the implication that someone has tried.

CPS criticised for dropping assault charge after officer allegedly gave CPR while man was awake

John Sutherland says he was conscious when Sam Wilks gave ‘excruciating’ chest compressions

www.theguardian.com

Then at the end of the article

This wasn't a civil case of being sued, but the start of a criminal prosecution against a serving police officer (who was off-duty) for GBH (the action was brought by BTP). He performed CPR on a man who had fainted and was coming round, against the advice of a doctor who was present. The CPS may have dropped the case but he may yet get sued.

 

[JohnMcL7]

I’ve undertaken first aid training as long ago as 1979, and although much advice changes with time, I have always understood CPR when done properly runs a significant risk of broken sternum or broken ribs.

It was much the same when I did a first aid course recently where the instructor warned that you have to push hard and you're likely to break a rib. He was critical of a the government adverts which highlighted the timing and to use the Beegees song 'Staying alive' to get the timing right because he said one of the frequent mistakes with CPR is people don't use enough force. I hope I never had to do it but I certainly wouldn't be worrying about whether to start CPR because of possibly being sued.

 

[styles]

I've given up with some first aid providers.

I've been told before now that calling 112 is better than calling 999 because it uses GPS to get your location. Been told you can be sued for giving CPR if you break a rib. Even been told you can't remove a woman's bra because it would infringe their dignity (obviously you'd only remove it when necessary!)

It does make me curious about what you actually need to do to become a first aid trainer. I mainly take level 2 outdoor first aid courses, or level 3 first aid at work courses; so I assume people have to be at least level 4 trained?

 

[bleeder4]

I've given up with some first aid providers.

I've been told before now that calling 112 is better than calling 999 because it uses GPS to get your location. Been told you can be sued for giving CPR if you break a rib. Even been told you can't remove a woman's bra because it would infringe their dignity (obviously you'd only remove it when necessary!)

It does make me curious about what you actually need to do to become a first aid trainer. I mainly take level 2 outdoor first aid courses, or level 3 first aid at work courses; so I assume people have to be at least level 4 trained?

I used to do a St Johns Ambulance first aid course annually for work, but I gave it up a couple of years ago as it was just getting to silly. In the last one I did we were instructed the same as you with regards to bras (except the trainer referred to "people with breasts" rather than women, which wound me up no end). Also, got told that we couldn't touch people of the opposite sex unless we had consent. So in the exercises about putting people in the recovery position we had to actually ask them first "Do I have consent to touch your body to put you in the recovery position?". Which would obviously be completely pointless in a real-world situation.

It seemed that First Aid was just becoming too PC, so I decided to pass the mantle onto someone else!

 

[styles]

I used to do a St Johns Ambulance first aid course annually for work, but I gave it up a couple of years ago as it was just getting to silly. In the last one I did we were instructed the same as you with regards to bras (except the trainer referred to "people with breasts" rather than women, which wound me up no end). Also, got told that we couldn't touch people of the opposite sex unless we had consent. So in the exercises about putting people in the recovery position we had to actually ask them first "Do I have consent to touch your body to put you in the recovery position?". Which would obviously be completely pointless in a real-world situation.

It seemed that First Aid was just becoming too PC, so I decided to pass the mantle onto someone else!

Yes, consent from an unconscious person is so easily-obtained!

The other one that gets me at the moment is people saying rescue breaths have been ditched in favour of hands-only CPR. They haven't. But the Resus Council have basically said hands-only CPR is fine if you don't know how to do rescue breaths. It's better than nothing, which is often what happens when untrained witnesses encounter somebody not breathing because they panic over the breaths and the compression rates etc. If you're trained, rescue breaths are absolutely still recommended.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I've been told before now that calling 112 is better than calling 999 because it uses GPS to get your location.

This one is as common as it is false. I challenge it when it comes up. However it's relatively harmless as it doesn't matter which number you call. It can be 112, 999 or indeed 911 (the latter is I understand mapped on UK mobile networks as why would you not?)

Been told you can be sued for giving CPR if you break a rib.

You could be sued (as is noted above, i.e. a lawsuit be brought), but they wouldn't win. I guess that's down to technicalities.

Even been told you can't remove a woman's bra because it would infringe their dignity (obviously you'd only remove it when necessary!)

Not something that's ever entered my consideration as there are very, very few cases where you'd actually need to as a first aider rather than a doctor. CPR maybe but I suspect it'd make very little difference.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 19 Jan 2026 ==

So in the exercises about putting people in the recovery position we had to actually ask them first "Do I have consent to touch your body to put you in the recovery position?".

I've for a very long time (and I've done a lot of courses having been in Scouting all my life!) been taught that I should basically tell the patient what I'm doing and why as I go along. This has a few purposes, one of which isn't related to the patient at all (namely that people watching know what you're doing too!) but it's often said that the sense of hearing is the one that goes last. Thus it is possible that the patient will hear it and be reassured even if they aren't in a position to reply to it or do anything as a result.

This is therefore not as silly as suggested. You can't ask for consent as such - but you can tell them what you're doing and why. It might be pointless but it might not.

Obviously if the patient is conscious you must as a first aider ask for consent for any treatment you intend to give. This isn't necessarily going to be as formal as you note, but "Can I just do X" is not a bad form, even better if you say why. Chuck in a bit of reassurance too if you can, e.g. "I'm going to do X because it'll help you with Y until the ambulance gets here, they've said they will be 10 minutes by the way".

 

[styles]

This one is as common as it is false. I challenge it when it comes up. However it's relatively harmless as it doesn't matter which number you call. It can be 112, 999 or indeed 911 (the latter is I understand mapped on UK mobile networks as why would you not?)

I picked my battles on this particular course and chose not to challenge it!

You could be sued (as is noted above, i.e. a lawsuit be brought), but they wouldn't win. I guess that's down to technicalities.

Well yeah, you could be sued for wearing a purple tie in the office.

Not something that's ever entered my consideration as there are very, very few cases where you'd actually need to as a first aider rather than a doctor. CPR maybe but I suspect it'd make very little difference.

Metal wire bras can interfere with defibs, and can redirect shocks. There's a specific campaign around it, "Bra Off, Defib On": https://braoffdefibon.co.uk/

 

[Bletchleyite]

Metal wire bras can interfere with defibs, and can redirect shocks. There's a specific campaign around it, "Bra Off, Defib On": https://braoffdefibon.co.uk/

Thanks. I didn't know that! Learn something new every day.

 

[styles]

Thanks. I didn't know that! Learn something new every day.

I think from a young age (also in Scouting!) I'd been told it's fine to remove bras for CPR. I'm not really sure the reason before defibs became commonplace, except it may inhibit breathing somewhat? But yeah, I wouldn't hesitate these days. Also frankly, as a male, I am not a bra expert, so I probably wouldn't waste time trying to figure out if a bra had a metal underwire or a strong plastic one, I'd just cut/remove it, place the pads, cover them up for dignity, and carry on.

 

[adc82140]

All defibs should come with tuff cut scissors in the box for just this purpose. There is no need to remove the bra for initial CPR, but as soon as a defib becomes involved it should be off. Nobody should be ferreting around trying to unfasten, just snip it off.

My other bugbear: people saying that you need to be trained to use a defib. You categorically do not. I had a serious go at our Town council on Facebook when they said that you did.

 

[4COR]

This one is as common as it is false. I challenge it when it comes up. However it's relatively harmless as it doesn't matter which number you call. It can be 112, 999 or indeed 911 (the latter is I understand mapped on UK mobile networks as why would you not?)

Can confirm - I have called 999 on mobile as first at the scene of a car crash before (2-3 yrs back?) and was asked to give location - as I was doing so, the call handler said "Ok - I can see your location from your phone now", so clearly they had suitable data, regardless of number called.

And yes - the last 1st Aid course I did also said about underwired bras and need to remove before defib; and they also said about the breaking of ribs (which again, sadly, from experience can confirm is true and while unpleasant, oddly reassuring that you are doing something right at the time...CPR is very hard work, esp if on your own while someone else is off getting the defib.). Clearly some trainers are better than others.