Good Samaritan law

First Aid & CPR El Salvador

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 Art. 175 of the Salvadoran Criminal Code (Legislative Decree No. 1030 of 1997) — "omisión del deber de socorro" (breach of the duty to rescue), in the chapter on offences against human solidarity.
Scope of protection Any person who fails to help someone who is helpless and in manifest, grave danger, when able to do so without risk to self or a third party. If direct aid is impossible, they must urgently summon outside help.
Duty to rescue Yes
Penalty for failure to assist Fine of 50 to 100 day-fines. If the victim was harmed by an accident caused by the person who then omitted aid: imprisonment of 6 months to 1 year plus a fine of 50 to 100 day-fines.
AED liability protection No
Legal duty to rescue applies

Your protection under the law

El Salvador's 1997 Criminal Code places rescue among the duties of human solidarity: its article 175 punishes not the person who helps, but the one who abstains. The law asks only for proportionate aid that can be given without risk to oneself or a third party, so that anyone who acts in good faith and within their means does exactly what the legal order expects of them.

Duty to rescue

In El Salvador, helping is not optional: failing to aid a helpless person in manifest and grave danger draws a fine, and imprisonment of six months to a year when the danger arose from an accident caused by the very person who then turns away. If direct help is impossible, the law itself points the way — urgently summon outside aid. Far from a threat, it is a reminder that any Salvadoran can be the help another needs.

Why training matters

For the law to expect a response only means something if we know how to give one. Recognizing cardiac arrest, starting firm compressions and calling clearly for help are skills mastered through training, not improvisation. In the streets, schools and workplaces of El Salvador, a trained person turns a legal duty into a life saved; learning CPR and first aid is preparing for the moment when someone depends entirely on our hands.