Reclamation Of Abandoned Mines: Legislative Proposals To Incentivize Good Samaritans

Good Samaritan Laws

All U.S. states and the District of Columbia have some form of "Good Samaritan" law that protects people and companies from civil liability for voluntarily helping others. The foundation for these statutes, of course, is that the person or company that is shielded from liability did not have a hand in causing the harm in the first place.

The details of Good Samaritan laws vary by jurisdiction,¹ including who receives protection from liability and under what circumstances. Colorado provides its law in C.R.S. section 13-21-108. The law shields from civil liability physicians and surgeons, volunteer members of a rescue unit or ski patrol, firefighters, police officers, teachers, and "any person . . . who gratuitously and in good faith renders emergency care or treatment ...."