Must bystanders do anything if they witness an ongoing rape in the Pennsylvania, United States?
<p>I read on <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/philadephia-septa-train-rain-bystanders-shouldve-intervented-police-say/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.cbsnews.com/news/philadephia-septa-train-rain-bystanders-shouldve-intervented-police-say/</a>:</p>
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<p>A woman was allegedly raped on a suburban Philadelphia train last week while police said there were &quot;a lot of people&quot; around who &quot;should have done something.&quot;</p>
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<p>Must bystanders do anything if they witness an ongoing rape in Pennsylvania, United States?</p>
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<p><a href="https://apnews.com/article/0e270aea414d4c47ba1e3527955158ac" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://apnews.com/article/0e270aea414d4c47ba1e3527955158ac</a> mentions it depends on the state:</p>
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<p>There is no all-encompassing legal obligation in the United States that a bystander who sees an act of violence must intervene or call police. But there are exceptions to that idea, dubbed the no-duty rule. Many states have laws requiring intervention when the victim of an ongoing attack is a child. The relationship of the witness to the victim is also a factor in assessing criminal or civil liability: Bosses may have a duty to intervene on behalf of employees, teachers for students and spouses for spouses.</p>
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<p>In the US, there is no general legal duty to aid. Certain states (Wisconsin, Minnesota, Washington – about 10 states) have imposed such a duty. Otherwise, duty arises only because you have caused the peril, or because you have certain pre-existing relations with the person. Pennsylvania does have a <a href="https://law.justia.com/codes/pennsylvania/2010/title-75/chapter-37/3744/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">duty to assist law</a>, applicable to drivers of vehicles involved in an accident that results in injury or death (involved in, not just caused). PA also has a <a href="https://pehsc.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/THE-GOOD-SAMARITAN-AND-RELATED-ACTS.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Good Samaritan law</a> which relieves a person of liability for a good faith rendering of assistance, which does not otherwise impose a positive duty on individuals.</p>

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