Good Samaritan laws provide legal protection for
ordinary people who step up to help in an emergency. They’re
meant as a way to encourage those who aren’t health care
professionals to act, by removing the threat of legal liability for
injuries or other problems that could result from their
intervention.
In some countries, a Good Samaritan law actually requires a
person to act, but Canada’s laws don’t obligate you to
do so. Generally, the law states that anyone who provides emergency
medical aid to an ill, injured or unconscious person at the scene
of an accident or emergency can’t be sued for injuries or
death caused by the rescuer’s actions – whether
it’s something they’ve done or neglected to do –
as long as their actions weren’t grossly negligent.
