The price of being a Good Samaritan

Even if it ends up costing them money to do so, the odds are that Good Samaritans would still stop at crash scenes to help out. That’s just the way Good Samaritans are.

Still, being the one to stop shouldn’t cost you money.

WCCO reports Lauren Radziejewski, a nurse practitioner, stopped at a crash scene on Highway 55 in Eagan in April to do what she could to help. In the process, she got cut and picked up a big bill from Regions Hospital for her trouble.

“He was also bleeding pretty profusely from cuts on his head, and although those weren’t life threatening, I did try to keep pressure on them as I was stabilizing his head,” Radziejewski said.

It wasn’t until the adrenalin stopped pumping that Radziejewski recalls looking down at herself.

“After EMS took over completely, I realized I was covered in blood. After I washed off the blood that was on my hands, I realized I was bleeding myself,” Radziejewski said.

She cut herself while helping the victim. A colleague advised Radziejewski to go to Regions Hospital where the victim was taken to make sure neither party had exposed the other to an infectious disease.

“They drew my blood, they drew his blood, then I left the ER,” Radziejewski said.

About a month later, Regions billed Radziejewski $900 for the ER visit. She thought the charges would be dropped after explaining why she was there.

They weren’t, at least until the TV station started sniffing around on the situation.

Radziejewski says the state’s Good Samaritan law in Minnesota should be changed to accommodate situations like this.

Related: Watch amazing moment ‘Good Samaritan’ dives into Thames to rescue stranger (London 24).