Good Samaritan laws are designed to protect from liability someone who helps another person. The details differ by state, but generally, the law provides that passers-by who help someone in distress can't be held liable for any failure in their actions. Some states, including Minnesota and Wisconsin, have laws that make it a duty to assist a person in distress as long as doing so doesn't involve significant danger. In other states, the Good Samaritan laws remove the burden of liability from anyone helping another person in distress except if it can be proven that the helper showed an extremely high degree of wanton or willful negligence. Good Samaritan laws generally apply to a person who's not paid to give this kind of assistance. If on duty, professional providers of assistance such as doctors, paramedics, lifeguards, or law-enforcement personnel are obliged to assist a person in danger. Professionals can be held liable for negligence based on reasonable expectations and the level of their training. A nonprofessional passerby who assists an injured person or someone who's in danger is immunized from subsequent liability. For more information about the Good Samaritan laws in your state, contact an attorney.
