Good Samaritan law

First Aid & CPR Rhode Island

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 Rhode Island Good Samaritan law — R.I. Gen. Laws § 9-1-27.1 (Good Samaritan — immunity from liability). Note: Rhode Island uniquely also imposes a statutory DUTY TO RESCUE at R.I. Gen. Laws § 11-56-1 (Duty to assist).
Scope of protection A person who voluntarily and gratuitously renders emergency assistance is immune from civil liability for ordinary negligence, but not for gross negligence or willful or wanton conduct. For CPR/AED specifically, the immunity applies only to persons trained to American Heart Association or American Red Cross standards.
Duty to rescue Yes
Penalty for failure to assist Under R.I. Gen. Laws § 11-56-1, any person at the scene of an emergency who knows another is exposed to or has suffered grave physical harm must, to the extent possible without danger to self or others, give reasonable assistance. Violation is a petty misdemeanor punishable by up to 6 months' imprisonment, a fine of up to $500, or both.
AED liability protection Protected
Statute AED immunity is provided within R.I. Gen. Laws § 9-1-27.1: persons who gratuitously render CPR or automated external defibrillation are immune from liability for ordinary negligence, provided they were trained to American Heart Association or American Red Cross standards; trainers, medical directors and property owners/lessees are also protected. Untrained AED users are not covered.
Legal duty to rescue applies AED protection

Your protection under the law

In Rhode Island, R.I. Gen. Laws § 9-1-27.1 shields from liability for ordinary negligence a person who voluntarily and gratuitously renders emergency assistance, immunity falling away for gross negligence or willful or wanton conduct. For CPR and AED specifically, this protection reaches only persons trained to recognized resuscitation standards — untrained users are not covered. Trainers, medical directors, and property owners are also included.

Duty to rescue

Rhode Island is unique in the United States: its R.I. Gen. Laws § 11-56-1 imposes a genuine legal duty to rescue. Anyone at the scene who knows another is exposed to grave physical harm must give reasonable assistance, to the extent they can do so without danger to themselves or others. Failing to comply is a petty misdemeanor, punishable by up to six months' imprisonment, a fine of up to $500, or both. Here, then, coming to someone's aid is not merely a moral duty: it is a requirement of the law, and the best way to meet it without fear is to be trained.

Why training matters

In Rhode Island, the law doesn't only ask you to want to help — it requires it, and even ties its CPR and AED protection to recognized training. This double imperative turns a first-aid course into one of the most concrete choices you can make: it lets you both meet your legal duty and do so competently, safe from lawsuits. Learning to recognize cardiac arrest, compress effectively, and use an AED answers the call of the law as much as that of your own humanity. Get trained: in the country's smallest state, every prepared citizen counts twice over.