Legal Definitions - emergency circumstances

Definition: Emergency circumstances refer to situations that require immediate action and may allow people to bypass usual procedures. These situations may involve threats to a person's life or safety, imminent suspect escape, or the removal or destruction of evidence.

Examples:

• A neighbor breaking through a window of a burning house to save someone inside is an example of emergency circumstances.
• A police officer taking immediate action to make an arrest, search, or seizure without a warrant due to probable cause is another example of emergency circumstances.

These examples illustrate how emergency circumstances demand quick action to prevent harm or loss of life. In both cases, people are allowed to bypass usual procedures to address the situation at hand.