Good Samaritan law

First Aid & CPR Georgia

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 O.C.G.A. § 51-1-29 — immunity for any person who in good faith renders emergency care gratuitously at the scene of an accident or emergency.
Scope of protection Protects any person who in good faith and without compensation renders emergency care at the scene of an accident or emergency. Immunity does not extend to acts of willful or wanton misconduct.
Duty to rescue No
AED liability protection Protected
Statute O.C.G.A. § 51-1-29.3 — immunity for operators of AEDs and for premises owners, supervising physicians and trainers; excludes willful/wanton misconduct (gross negligence for licensed professionals). Excludes manufacturers.
No legal duty to rescue AED protection

Your protection under the law

Georgia's O.C.G.A. § 51-1-29 grants immunity to any person who in good faith and without compensation renders emergency care at the scene of an accident or emergency, with the shield falling away only for willful or wanton misconduct. A separate provision, O.C.G.A. § 51-1-29.3, protects those who operate an AED—along with premises owners, supervising physicians and trainers—excluding willful or wanton misconduct (gross negligence for licensed professionals) and leaving device manufacturers outside its cover.

No duty to act, but every reason to

Georgia law asks no one to be a rescuer—there is no duty to intervene, and the decision to help belongs to you alone. Yet when you help in good faith, the statute protects you, and it names the AED among the tools you may reach for without fear. Don't let the specter of a lawsuit decide your next move; the law has already settled that question in your favor.

Why training matters

Cardiac arrest gives no notice, and with survival falling about ten percent each minute, whoever is closest becomes the difference between recovery and loss long before help can arrive. That is the meaning of the chain of survival: the bystander is its first link, and in Georgia's busy cities and quiet countryside alike, that link is you. The law has already removed the legal risk of acting; training removes the doubt, so that in the crucial moment you move with purpose. Learn what to do, and you hold the power to keep a heart's story from ending too soon.