Refusal to Give CPR to Elderly Woman Probed by Police

Caplan said, however, that even if the staffer did perform CPR, the chances of keeping Bayless alive were slim. Even when CPR is administered immediately the chance of recovery is worse than 50-50, Caplan said.

"The odds are pretty long," he said.

But that doesn't change the ethics of why people should help each other, he said.

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87-year-old Lorraine Bayless collapsed at... View Full Size

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87-year-old Lorraine Bayless collapsed at Glenwood Gardens, a senior living facility in Bakersfield, Calif. and later died after a nurse refused to perform CPR because of the facility's policy did not allow her to.

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ABC News legal analyst Dan Abrams said a question remains about the liability of Glenwood Gardens. Medical facilities are required to perform CPR on a person in distress. It's unclear whether Glenwood Gardens qualifies as a medical facility or is "essentially an apartment complex for the elderly," he said today on Good Morning America.

Legal issues aside, there's an unbelievable quality to the incident, he said. The woman acts "nonchalant" in contrast to the dispatcher who begs her to grab a stranger who might try to save the woman's life.

"Bravo to the 911 operator, the way she's going at it, trying to get some action here," Abrams said.