Good Samaritan law

First Aid & CPR Spain

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 Criminal Code, Art. 195-196 (Ley Orgánica 10/1995) — offence of "omisión del deber de socorro" (failure to render aid)
Scope of protection Art. 195 punishes anyone who fails to help a defenceless person in manifest and serious danger when they could do so without risk. Art. 196 increases the penalty for healthcare professionals who deny assistance. There is no separate civil-liability shield for the volunteer rescuer; protection rests on the state of necessity and the legal duty to act.
Duty to rescue Yes
Penalty for failure to assist Fine of 3 to 12 months (Art. 195 CP); if the accident was caused by the person who omitted aid, up to 6 months–2 years imprisonment
AED liability protection No
Legal duty to rescue applies

Your protection under the law

In Spain, the law does more than tolerate the good-faith rescuer: it counts on one. The Criminal Code (Art. 195-196, Ley Orgánica 10/1995) punishes omisión del deber de socorro — failing to help a defenceless person in manifest and serious danger when you could do so without risk. There is no separate civil-liability shield for the volunteer rescuer; protection rests instead on the state of necessity and the legal duty to act, so stepping in is never a fault but the fulfilment of a duty.

Duty to rescue

In Spain, helping is not optional: the law asks you to act. Art. 195 makes inaction an offence punishable by a fine of 3 to 12 months — rising to 6 months to 2 years' imprisonment where the accident was caused by the person who withheld aid — and Art. 196 raises the penalty further for healthcare professionals. Training simply gives you the means to meet that obligation calmly and competently, rather than being caught short by it.

Why training matters

Spanish law asks you to act; training makes sure you actually can. In a cardiac arrest, every minute without resuscitation cuts the chance of survival by roughly 10%, and help rarely arrives in under a few minutes — in that gap, the bystander is the first link in the chain of survival. Learning the lifesaving gestures turns a legal duty into real power: the power to be the difference between life and death for a loved one, a colleague or a stranger. Get trained, and be ready the day someone is counting on you.