Good Samaritan law

First Aid & CPR New Hampshire

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 New Hampshire Good Samaritan law — RSA 508:12 (Aid at Scene of Emergency or to Victim of Crime)
Scope of protection A person who, without compensation and in good faith, renders emergency care at the scene of an emergency is not liable for civil damages for acts or omissions in providing that care. The immunity is lost only for wanton, willful or reckless conduct (New Hampshire's higher liability threshold).
Duty to rescue No
AED liability protection Protected
Statute A person who in good faith and without compensation renders emergency care using an automated external defibrillator is not liable for civil damages absent gross negligence or willful/wanton conduct; those acquiring and maintaining an AED are likewise protected (AED provisions tied to RSA 508:12 and the AED program statute RSA 153-A).
No legal duty to rescue AED protection

Your protection under the law

In New Hampshire, RSA 508:12 protects anyone who, without compensation and in good faith, renders emergency care at the scene of an emergency: they are not liable for civil damages for their acts or omissions. Notably, immunity is lost only for wanton, willful, or reckless conduct — a higher, more rescuer-friendly threshold than ordinary gross negligence. AED use falls under the same protection, as does acquiring and maintaining the device.

No duty to act, but every reason to

True to its "Live Free or Die" spirit, New Hampshire makes no legal duty of assistance: whether to act is yours, and yours alone, to decide. The law nonetheless rewards that choice with some of the most generous protection in the country, since only truly reckless conduct forfeits it. A good-faith rescuer, AED in hand, has nothing to fear from the courts.

Why training matters

Between the peaks of the White Mountains and New Hampshire's remote villages, professional help can be slow to arrive — and then it's a bystander's hands that make the difference. Recognizing cardiac arrest, compressing at the right rhythm, and hooking up an AED without faltering cannot be improvised: it is learned. With one of the country's most protective laws behind you, only one thing is left to gain — the skill. Get trained and be ready to answer the call the day someone depends on you.