Good Samaritan law

First Aid & CPR Maryland

The Good Samaritan: compassion and protection

Drawn from the Bible (Luke 10:25-37), the parable of the Good Samaritan tells of a traveller left for dead who is rescued by a stranger that tends to him and sees to his care. Beyond its religious context, it carries a universal message: the moral duty to help others in danger, through compassion and altruism.

Inspired by this principle, many so-called Good Samaritan laws have been enacted around the world to protect those who assist in good faith during an emergency from legal action. The exact scope of that protection, however, varies from one jurisdiction to another: here is what the law applicable to your region provides.

Statute citation

Governing act Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 5-603 (Emergency Medical Care) — immunity for assistance or medical care rendered without compensation at the scene of an emergency.
Scope of protection A person is not civilly liable for an act or omission in giving assistance or medical care if: (1) the act is not gross negligence; (2) the aid is provided without fee or compensation; and (3) it is provided at the scene of an emergency, in transit, or through communication with emergency personnel. Covers licensed professionals, fire/ambulance/rescue members, and any individual acting in a reasonably prudent manner.
Duty to rescue No
AED liability protection Protected
Statute Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 5-603 protects both trained and untrained AED users; AED program requirements fall under Md. Code, Education § 13-517. Immunity is lost for gross negligence or willful or wanton misconduct.
No legal duty to rescue AED protection

Your protection under the law

In Maryland, Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 5-603 shields from civil liability the person who gives assistance or medical care without fee — at the scene of an emergency, in transit, or through communication with emergency personnel — provided the act is not gross negligence. The protection applies to licensed professionals and to any individual acting in a reasonably prudent manner alike, and expressly covers AED users, both trained and untrained. Immunity is lost only for gross negligence or willful or wanton misconduct.

No duty to act, but every reason to

Maryland places on no bystander the duty to intervene — helping remains a personal choice, guided by conscience. That choice is firmly protected: whether trained or not, AED use and care given in good faith cover you against civil suit. Fear of a lawsuit should therefore never turn you away from an act that can change everything for the person lying before you.

Why training matters

Whether on the busy shores of the Chesapeake Bay, on a Baltimore street, or deep in a rural county, a cardiac arrest never gives warning. Training in CPR and first aid means gaining the ability to act in those first decisive minutes, before help even arrives: to recognize, to compress, to defibrillate with method. Maryland's law already protects your intention; training guarantees its effect. Learn these gestures, and be among those who can truly be counted on.