Once upon a time there was a traveler who came down from Jerusalem to Jericho. During his long journey, the unfortunate man was attacked by robbers. His clothes were torn off and then he was rushed multiple shots before his attackers fled, leaving him for dead. Fortunately for the wounded man, an individual from Samaria passed in his path and found him half dead. Taken of compassion, the good Samaritan nursed the wounds of the savagely attacked traveler. He charged the lifeless body of the man on the back of his horse and took him to an inn to look after him to the best of his knowledge. When the time came to resume his journey, the good Samaritan gave the innkeeper money to take good care of the traveler in his turn.
This story, taken directly from the Bible (Luke 10:25, 37) carries a great message: The moral obligation to care for others to the best of our abilities. Several laws from around the world have been promulgated to protect the good Samaritans who help those he believes to be in danger.
The good Samaritan laws
The rescuer must assist with the best of his abilities and knowledge. At a minimum, these laws require that you do not leave the scene of an incident or accident and ensure that emergency services are contacted. Under no circumstances will these laws require you to put your health, your integrity or even your life at risk in order to rescue one or more people in distress. The laws of the good Samaritan have been created to avoid the hesitation of a spectator to act in the face of an incident, for fear of prosecution in the event of a clumsiness on his part.
These laws are intended to protect anyone assisting a victim or victims, in the face of an error in their relief treatment. If the rescuer’s error may have caused unintentional injury or even death, as long as the rescuer has acted for the sole purpose of rescuing the victim, he will be protected by the law of the good Samaritan.