Good Samaritan law

First Aid & CPR Iowa

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 Iowa Code § 613.17 (Emergency assistance) — immunity for emergency care rendered in good faith without compensation.
Scope of protection Any person who in good faith and without compensation renders emergency care or assistance at the place of an emergency or accident (or in transit) is not liable for civil damages, unless the acts or omissions constitute recklessness or willful and wanton misconduct.
Duty to rescue No
AED liability protection Protected
Statute The immunity of Iowa Code § 613.17 extends to the good-faith use of an automated external defibrillator (AED), provided the AED program is maintained per the manufacturer's guidelines.
No legal duty to rescue AED protection

Your protection under the law

Iowa protects the volunteer rescuer through Iowa Code § 613.17 (Emergency assistance), which removes civil liability for emergency aid rendered in good faith and without compensation, whether at the scene or in transit. That immunity extends to the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED), provided the device is maintained per the manufacturer's guidelines. Only recklessness or willful and wanton misconduct strips the protection away; a mistake made while genuinely trying to help does not.

No duty to act, but every reason to

Iowa places no obligation on anyone to intervene — rescuing remains a voluntary act, never a compulsion. Yet the law has chosen to reassure rather than deter: a person who acts in good faith, AED in hand, is not exposed to civil damages. Fear of being sued therefore has no place in the decision to help; what matters is daring to begin.

Why training matters

Legal protection opens the door; training gives you the steady step to walk through it. Recognizing a cardiac arrest, starting compressions without faltering, and following an AED's prompts are skills learned in a few hours and remembered for life. In Iowa, among small towns and long agricultural distances, a trained neighbor, coworker, or family member often decides a victim's fate before the ambulance ever arrives. Turn your goodwill into skill — it is the most useful commitment you can make.