The Good Samaritan | Radiolab Podcast

From the Radiolab podcast: No good deed goes unpunished.
Tuesday afternoon, summer of 2017: Scotty Hatton and Scottie Wightman made a decision to help someone in need and both paid a price for their actions that day - actions that have led to a legal, moral, and scientific puzzle about how we balance accountability and forgiveness.
In this 2019 episode, we go to Bath County, Kentucky, where, as one health official put it, opioids have created “a hole the size of Kentucky.” We talk to the people on all sides of this story about stemming the tide of overdoses. We wrestle with the science of poison and fear, and we try to figure out whether and when the drive to protect and help those around us should rise above the law.
Special thanks to Earl Willis, Bobby Ratliff, Ronnie Goldie, Megan Fisher, Alan Caudill, Nick Jones, Dan Wermerling, Terry Bunn, Robin Thompson and the staff at KIPRC, Charles Landon, Charles P Gore, Jim McCarthy, Ann Marie Farina, Dr. Jeremy Faust and Dr. Ed Boyer, Justin Brower, Kathy Robinson, Zoe Renfro, John Bucknell, Chris Moraff, Jeremiah Laster, Tommy Kane, Jim McCarthy, Sarah Wakeman, and Al Tompkins.
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Photo illustration Jared Bartman

[@redi6518]

EMT driver is still salty about his civil case where he was held liable and sued. That's what crossed his mind after the incident with the overdose. He thought to himself well I had to pay for my accident. Now that I'm a victim. It's someone else's turn to pay. But when faced with the possibility that things didn't happen the way he believes. He wants no part of it. He has created a narrative in his mind. That he's now successfully convinced himself is the absolute truth.

[@ruthsoloriooceguera9450]

My exact thoughts.

[@augustlunaonline]

It’s this mentality of “I did something very bad, and even though it was an accident, I need to make sure I remember this and suffer for the rest of my life, because this is what will makes me a good person.” It’s a form of self-flagellation. And the EMT’s may not realize this, but it’s clear through his actions that he believes everyone who does something bad need to approach their wrongdoings this way, which is why he doesn’t want the people who overdosed to get off the hook.

[@Vovvilina]

Agreed: clearly the EMT has guilt about those three lost lives because other factors were involved that weren't disclosed. There are other memorable stories like this one that Radiolab has done that show how there are always two sides of the coin. It's incredible how many individuals I've talked with who could not forgive themselves for something, then chose a path that they told themselves would offer penance, and ultimately, when they were confronted with a situation not unlike the original 'sin,' they chose to pumish rather than forgive. So many end up repeating a wrong if they don't fully forgive themselves and others or see justice prevail. Forgiving doesn't mean you're stating a wrong wasn't committed, and one should be held accountable for their actions, but we're not solving the source of these problems by jailing the people who are already suffering thanks to the disparities in our society. If we instead charge the sources of the real crimes in this story, there are many players, far more powerful, who continue to not be publicly punished.

[@bonniemarieee]

I really like you all's channel, it's refreshing. Thank you

[@PUCK.GUN.LAWS1]

😊😊😊😊

[@Vovvilina]

Intention is everything. Why would an EMT hold people accountable for doing things that may result in their own personal injury? When you chose to be an EMT or LEO or PSW, you also chose the inherent consequences, intentional or not, of responding to 911 calls. When injury occurs directly, the law can be upheld while also honoring the Good Samaritan concept. An addict should not be held accountable given how the brain is behaving -- or misbehaving -- under the influence. I'd love to find out how many in this story who are judging others have their own issues with alcohol, sex, gambling, or other addictions that our society seems to find more acceptable.

[@johnryan2193]

Im very leery of this od by touch .

[@captainKbobkeeshan]

The story sounds interesting but I couldn't listen to it. As the constant intercuts of person to person was disruptive to the storytelling. It was like and ADD person was in charge of splicing the footage together. I don't think that's a good idea.

[@thechawnel241]

Thats how they make their whole show haha