Good Samaritan law

First Aid & CPR North Dakota

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 North Dakota Good Samaritan Act — N.D.C.C. § 32-03.1-02 (chapter 32-03.1)
Scope of protection A person who renders aid or assistance necessary or helpful in an emergency to a victim is not liable for civil damages for acts or omissions, other than acts or omissions constituting gross negligence, when the person acts as an ordinary, reasonable, prudent person would under the circumstances.
Duty to rescue No
AED liability protection Protected
Statute AED immunity is provided within N.D.C.C. § 32-03.1-02: a person who in good faith and without compensation provides emergency care using an automated external defibrillator is immune from civil liability for any resulting personal injury, except where the injury results from gross negligence or willful or wanton misconduct; the supervising physician, trainer and site are likewise protected.
No legal duty to rescue AED protection

Your protection under the law

In North Dakota, the Good Samaritan Act (N.D.C.C. § 32-03.1-02) releases from all civil liability a person who gives a victim aid that is necessary or helpful in an emergency, provided they act as an ordinary, reasonable, prudent person would. Only gross negligence forfeits that protection. AED immunity sits within the same section: the good-faith, uncompensated use of an automated external defibrillator is covered, as are the supervising physician, the trainer, and the site.

No duty to act, but every reason to

North Dakota imposes no legal duty on you to rescue: your intervention will spring from conscience, not compulsion. The law, by contrast, fully protects the good-faith rescuer who acts with common sense, AED included, reserving liability for gross negligence alone. The act is yours to make; the law simply ensures it costs you nothing to make it.

Why training matters

Across North Dakota's wide expanses, between isolated farms and small prairie towns, the nearest ambulance can be long minutes of driving away. Those minutes are yours to fill: resuscitation begun early keeps hope alive until professionals arrive. CPR and first-aid training gives you the method, the calm, and the confidence to act when everything else waits. Get trained — because in these great open spaces, the first responder is often the neighbor.