Good Samaritan law

First Aid & CPR Ohio

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 Ohio Good Samaritan law — Ohio Rev. Code (ORC) § 2305.23
Scope of protection No person is liable in civil damages for administering emergency care or treatment at the scene of an emergency, outside a hospital, doctor's office or other place having proper medical equipment, unless the acts constitute willful or wanton misconduct. Ohio applies the willful/wanton threshold rather than gross negligence.
Duty to rescue No
AED liability protection Protected
Statute AED immunity is provided at ORC § 2305.235: except for willful or wanton misconduct, a person who uses or makes an automated external defibrillator available, and the prescribing/consulting physician and trainer, are not liable in civil damages for injury, death or loss arising from AED use in an emergency.
No legal duty to rescue AED protection

Your protection under the law

In Ohio, ORC § 2305.23 shields from all civil liability a person who administers emergency care at the scene of an emergency, outside a hospital, office, or other place with proper medical equipment. Immunity falls away only for willful or wanton misconduct — Ohio applies that threshold rather than the lower one of gross negligence. AED use falls under § 2305.235, which protects the user, the prescribing physician, and the trainer by the same standard.

No duty to act, but every reason to

Ohio makes intervention no legal duty: it is up to you to reach out. But the law makes that choice especially safe, since it takes willful or wanton misconduct — far more than a simple mistake — to lose the immunity. Whether you perform CPR or grab an AED, the law gives you wide room to act without fear.

Why training matters

From the shores of Lake Erie to the farm towns of southern Ohio, cardiac arrest never gives warning — and it most often strikes at home, in front of a loved one. Knowing how to respond in those very first minutes gives that person their best chance to pull through. CPR and first-aid training replaces panic with clear actions and teaches you to handle an AED without hesitation. Get trained: the life you protect may be that of someone you love.