Editor’s note: While this isn’t the first time I’ve commented on this story, these recent developments raise another issue that is worth mentioning; namely, the fact that you can be personally sued for things you do at your job. Although different states, and employers, have different laws, regulations, and policies about how civil legal matters are handled, if you do something that is negligent or doesn’t meet the “reasonable person” test — generally speaking &mdash you can face personal liability. Regardless of the ultimate judgment, you can certainly face the reality of having to defend yourself against a lawsuit.
It’s definitely a good idea to understand the limits of your personal liability for job-related civil claims, but perhaps more important is always remembering what we signed up for, “FIRST...DO NO HARM.”
Editorial Advisor Chief Adam K. Thiel
By FireRescue1 Staff
NEW YORK — The parents of a murdered woman are suing Facebook for refusing to remove photos of their daughter’s strangled body posted by a paramedic.
Paramedic Mark Musarella was one of the first on the scene after Caroline Wimmer was found strangled in her apartment on Staten Island, N.Y., two years ago. She was found by her parents with a hair-dryer cord wrapped around her neck.
Musarella snapped photos of dead woman with his cell phone camera, which he then uploaded to the social site.
He pleaded guilty last year to official misconduct and was fired by the hospital where he worked. Under the terms of his plea deal, he was ordered to complete 200 hours of community service and is barred from ever working as an EMT again.
But now a civil suit has been slapped on the former NYC medic, as well as on Facebook by the parents of Caroline Wimmer, according to various reports.
“Mark Musarella only got 200 hours of community service, and my daughter’s picture is somewhere on the Internet and nobody can get it back to me,” Wimmer said according to the New York Daily News.
A spokesperson from Facebook told WCBS, “We haven’t been served or seen the complaint so we have no comment at this time.”