Transporting a patient without consent or restraining without authority is commonly alleged as which tort?

• A. Assault
• B. Battery
• C. Abandonment
• D. False Imprisonment

Answer: (D)

Restricting a person’s freedom of movement without lawful justification is false imprisonment. It covers situations where someone is confined or restrained against their will and there’s no valid consent, capacity, or legal authority to do so. In EMS terms, transporting a patient without consent or restraining them without a proper basis can amount to false imprisonment, because it confines their movement without a rightful justification. This is different from assault (threat of harmful contact) and battery (actual harmful or offensive contact), and from abandonment (leaving a patient without needed care after starting treatment). Therefore, the described scenario is false imprisonment.