Re: convoy
Amick Robert (amick@SPOT.COLORADO.EDU)
Tue, 30 Jul 1996 15:35:13 -0600
On Tue, 30 Jul 1996, Cheryl Singhal wrote:
> >
> > >"... If you do not travel in a convoy, what do you do with the boys'
> > > and leaders' medical forms, which would be needed in case of an accident?
> >
> > It is a good idea to duplicate copies of the medical forms/permission
> > forms with medical consent signed by parents. Put a set with each driver.
>
> I do not believe a Xeroxed signature is legally valid and therefore may
> not acceptable to the local hospital.
Generally a xerox copy is considered legal, and the hospital or physician
will probably wind up calling the parent anyway, even if there is a
consent form present, just to verify and to discuss the case with the
parent to inform them of the situation and the treatment. If it is a
life-threatening emergency, prehospital and hospital personnel are permitted
and required to render appropriate care with or without parental consent
to sustain life.
If you are concerned, however, you can get a notary to notarize the
signature of the original and of the copies. This entails having the
parent sign the document in the presence of the notary. Hopefully you
have a notary who is a friend of Scouting and will not charge you for the
services.
If the notary enters "attest
a true copy" on the copy of the original document and notarizes it, the
document then becomes just as legal as the original. If you are still not
satisfied, then get the parent to sign four (or however many copies you
may need) and if necessary have those notarized, then it is legally as
valid as it can be under the provisions of most states and international
countries.
>
> At which point -- will BSA accept a Xerox copy of their form?
So long as the form is reproduced faithfully without deletions or
additions, it is considered a legitimate form. In my various medical
staff assignments at Jamborees and summer camps we have dealt with
xeroxes, faxed copies, etc., and they have been considered acceptable.
Where you run into problems is with leaders trying to sign on behalf of
the parent. They legally cannot give consent for medical treatment unless
the parent has given them a "power of attorney" to do so. This actually
has been done in some cases, especially for international travel. The
power of attorney document must be executed in the presence of a notary
and the language must be legally appropriate for the state in which it is
issued.
Bob Amick, EMT-B, Explorer Advisor, High Adventure Explorer Post 72,
Boulder, CO
Terry Howerton Sakima Group, Inc. SCOUTER Magazine Kansas City |
