Criminal Liability of the Field Engineer

The state shall save harmless and indemnify all officers and employees of the state from financial loss arising out of any claim, demand, suit, or judgment by reason of alleged negligence or other act by such officer or employee provided that such officer or employee at the time damages were sustained was acting in the discharge of his duties and within the scope of his employment and that such damages did not result from the willful and wrongful act or gross negligence of such officer or employee (McKinney's Consolidated Laws of New York, Annotated, Public Officers Law, 17.) Certainly the time to enact legislation beneficial to the resident engineer is before the disaster. Responsible officials must contractually define the responsibilities of the field engineer thereby reducing the liability in case of a disaster. Indemnification legislation should be enacted in all the states for the protection of the field engineer.