Good Samaritan law

First Aid & CPR Massachusetts

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 M.G.L. c. 112 § 12V (emergency care by any person without compensation) and c. 231 § 85N (physicians, dentists, nurses, EMTs) — Good Samaritan immunity.
Scope of protection Any person who in good faith attempts to render emergency care (CPR, defibrillation, first aid) and does so without compensation is not liable for acts or omissions, other than gross negligence or willful or wanton misconduct. Conditions: act in good faith and neither accept nor expect payment.
Duty to rescue No
AED liability protection Protected
Statute M.G.L. c. 112 § 12V½ — defines the AED and AED provider; the Good Samaritan immunity covers AED owners, users, and medical directors (but not trainers), except for gross negligence or willful or wanton misconduct.
No legal duty to rescue AED protection

Your protection under the law

Massachusetts protects the Good Samaritan through M.G.L. c. 112 § 12V, which covers any person who in good faith and without compensation attempts to render emergency care — CPR, defibrillation, first aid — rounded out by c. 231 § 85N for physicians, dentists, nurses, and EMTs. AED use is framed by c. 112 § 12V½, whose immunity protects device owners, users, and medical directors. In every case, the protection yields only to gross negligence or willful or wanton misconduct, so long as one acts in good faith and expects no payment.

No duty to act, but every reason to

In Massachusetts, the law obliges no bystander to intervene — helping remains a choice, not a legal duty. But that choice is framed by clear protections — good faith required, no compensation, AED use covered — so that no one gives up on helping for fear of the consequences. Fear of a lawsuit should not weigh heavier than the certainty that, by acting, you stand on the right side of the law.

Why training matters

A cardiac arrest leaves only a few minutes before the odds of survival collapse; those minutes belong to whoever is present. In Massachusetts, amid dense cities and coastal communities, training in CPR and first aid means learning to act fast and true: effective compressions, an AED used without hesitation, confident care until help arrives. This knowledge does not serve strangers alone — it protects first the ones you love. Train, and keep within reach the power to make the difference.