Good Samaritan law

First Aid & CPR New Mexico

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 New Mexico Good Samaritan statute — NMSA 1978 § 24-10-3 (persons coming to the aid or rescue of another rendering emergency care; release from liability)
Scope of protection No person who comes to the aid or rescue of another by providing care in good faith at or near the scene of an emergency is liable for civil damages for any action or omission, except for gross negligence. The statute does not apply where care is rendered for remuneration or by someone present to solicit business or perform paid services.
Duty to rescue No
AED liability protection Protected
Statute AED immunity is provided under the Cardiac Arrest Response Act at NMSA 1978 § 24-10C-7: persons and entities associated with an AED program (users, acquirers, trainers, prescribing physicians) have limited liability protection for good-faith use, except for gross negligence or willful misconduct.
No legal duty to rescue AED protection

Your protection under the law

In New Mexico, NMSA 1978 § 24-10-3 releases from all civil liability anyone who comes to another's aid or rescue by rendering care in good faith at or near the scene of an emergency, except for gross negligence. The law does not apply where care is given for pay or by someone present to solicit business. AED protection under the Cardiac Arrest Response Act (§ 24-10C-7) reaches users, acquirers, trainers, and prescribing physicians acting in good faith.

No duty to act, but every reason to

New Mexico makes assistance no legal duty: it is your goodwill, not the law, that will lead you to step in. And that goodwill the law protects firmly, so long as you act without self-interest and in good faith — AED included. The choice remains entirely yours; the law merely ensures it can never be turned against you.

Why training matters

On New Mexico's long desert highways and across its scattered communities, an ambulance may be half an hour away when every second counts. In that gap, a trained bystander becomes the first — sometimes the only — link in the chain of survival. CPR and first-aid training teaches you to stay calm, act methodically, and handle an AED without hesitation. Take that step: today's preparation can be tomorrow's saved life.