Eric's Law is a proposed "Duty to Report" law. It is named after Eric Ashby who was abandoned in the Arkansas River in Fremont County, Colorado on June 28, 2017. Ashby was on an excursion with four other people when he was swept away by the fast, class four rapids. His companions saw him desperately clinging to a rock, but they didn't call for help. They got in Eric's car and drove home and did not report the incident until 10 days later. To date (8/25/2017), Eric has not been found. A body was recovered from the river near Florence, CO (about 15 miles downstream from where Eric went in) and DNA/dental results are pending. The people who left him will not face criminal charges because Colorado's existing duty to report law only extends to instances of child abuse/neglect.

A few weeks later, a young man from Arizona was discovered by an early morning dog walker, clinging to a life vest (he was not wearing it) in Vallecito Reservoir, La Plata County, screaming for help. The previous night, he and a companion went out on the reservoir in canoes. At some point, the young men capsized both canoes into the cold, deep water. The companion was able to swim to the shore, but the Arizona man was unable. Instead of immediately summoning help, the companion went home and went to bed. The Arizona man was fortuitously found by the dog walker the next morning after spending nine hours in the reservoir. When he was pulled from the water, he was in very critical condition. 

Earlier this year, in Alamosa County, a young woman was abandoned after a horrific head-on collision. The driver of the car she was in did not render aid nor call for rescue. She leaves behind two very beautiful children to mourn her aching loss.

That is three separate incidents, in three different counties, all within this year. The callousness presented in these cases is more than reprehensible, but we can make a difference and prevent more senseless deaths from occurring.

Please support Eric's Law. It is a proposed "Duty to Report" law that requires anyone who witnesses a dangerous situation where someone's life is in danger to immediately, within the best of their ability, call 911. This is NOT a "Duty to Rescue" law that requires an individual to risk their personal safety, this is just a phone call, something pretty much everyone can do, especially in the age of cell phones. Nine other states already have this law, and we feel it is time for Colorado to step up to the plate.

There is absolutely no reason someone, a fellow human being, should be left to die when help is so easily accessible. Thank you for taking the time to read this. Please sign this petition and share it with your friends and family. Together, we CAN save lives!