Good Samaritan law

First Aid & CPR Colombia

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. 131 of the Colombian Criminal Code (Law 599 of 2000) — "omisión de socorro" (failure to render aid), constitutionally grounded in the duty of solidarity (Art. 95-2 of the Constitution).
Scope of protection Any person who, without just cause, fails to assist a person whose life or health is in grave danger. Doctrine and case law read in that no one must intervene where there is imminent danger to the rescuer; the duty is then met by alerting the authorities.
Duty to rescue Yes
Penalty for failure to assist Imprisonment of 32 to 72 months (no alternative fine in the base article).
AED liability protection Protected
Statute Art. 4 of Law 1831 of 2017 (regulating use of the Automated External Defibrillator, DEA): "A person who uses the DEA shall not be civilly or criminally liable, provided they acted with reasonable care, due diligence, in good faith and according to the resources available at the time." — a genuine lay-rescuer shield.
Legal duty to rescue applies AED protection

Your protection under the law

In Colombia, helping is not only a criminal duty: it is the expression of a constitutional principle of solidarity (Art. 95-2 of the Constitution). Article 131 of the Criminal Code (Law 599 of 2000), "omisión de socorro," punishes anyone who, without just cause, fails to assist a person whose life or health is in grave danger. Doctrine and case law make clear that you are not required to expose yourself to imminent danger: in that case, the duty is met by alerting the authorities. The law thus frames the act of rescue without ever demanding heroism.

Duty to rescue

Colombia takes this duty very seriously: failure to render aid can be punished with 32 to 72 months' imprisonment, with no alternative fine in the base offence — one of the strictest frameworks in the region. But the law equally protects the person who acts: Article 4 of Law 1831 of 2017 provides that "a person who uses the DEA shall not be civilly or criminally liable, provided they acted with reasonable care, due diligence, in good faith and according to the resources available at the time." The message is balanced and clear: the law requires you to act, and shields the one who acts in good faith.

Why training matters

In a cardiac arrest, every minute without resuscitation cuts the chances of survival by roughly 10%. In Colombia, where the law requires you to act and at the same time protects the person who uses an AED in good faith, only one thing is missing: knowing how. Training in CPR and first aid places you calmly at the first link of the chain of survival — without legal fear and with the precision that saves lives. In a country that made solidarity a constitutional principle, learning to help is its most concrete promise made real.