Good Samaritan law

First Aid & CPR Mississippi

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 Miss. Code Ann. § 73-25-37 — immunity for emergency care rendered in good faith and with reasonable care at the scene of an emergency.
Scope of protection No licensed physician, dentist, nurse, EMT, or any other person who in good faith and with reasonable care renders emergency care to an injured person at the scene of an emergency is liable for civil damages for acts or omissions committed in good faith, except for gross negligence or willful or wanton misconduct.
Duty to rescue No
AED liability protection Protected
Statute Miss. Code Ann. § 73-25-37 (same section) — any person who in good faith, with or without compensation, renders emergency care by use of an AED is immune from civil liability where acting as an ordinarily prudent person would, except for gross negligence or willful or wanton misconduct.
No legal duty to rescue AED protection

Your protection under the law

In Mississippi, Miss. Code Ann. § 73-25-37 protects anyone who in good faith and with reasonable care renders emergency care to an injured person at the scene of an emergency, whether a health professional or an ordinary citizen. The same provision covers AED use, with or without compensation, so long as the person acts as an ordinarily prudent individual would. Immunity fades only in the presence of gross negligence or willful or wanton misconduct.

No duty to act, but every reason to

Mississippi imposes on no one the duty to intervene — helping remains a free decision, driven far more by the heart than by the code. That decision is protected when made in good faith and with a measure of care, and AED use falls within that coverage. Fear of a lawsuit should therefore not freeze your hand when someone before you needs immediate help.

Why training matters

In Mississippi, where many rural communities lie far from the nearest hospital, the minutes after a collapse often belong to those present. Training in CPR and first aid means gaining the ability to hold those minutes: to assess a victim, to sustain circulation with steady compressions, to let an AED guide your hands without giving in to panic. These skills, once learned, become a second nature whose worth is measured only when the moment to use it arrives. Train today — for your loved ones, your neighbors, and everyone chance may one day place in your path.