Three U.S. states legally require any person, including nurses, to stop and provide reasonable assistance at the scene of an emergency: Vermont, Minnesota, and Rhode Island. These are known as “duty to rescue” or “duty to assist” laws, and they apply to everyone present at an emergency scene, not just healthcare professionals. A handful of other states have narrower laws that specifically require healthcare professionals to render aid, but the three states above are the only ones with a broad legal obligation covering all bystanders.
How Duty to Assist Laws Work
Duty to assist laws flip the default assumption most people have about emergency scenes. In the vast majority of states, stopping to help is voluntary. You may be protected from liability if you choose to help (through Good Samaritan laws), but you have no legal obligation to do so. In Vermont, Minnesota, and Rhode Island, walking past someone suffering grave physical harm when you could safely help is a criminal offense.
The core language across all three states is remarkably similar. Each requires that a person who knows another is exposed to or has suffered “grave physical harm” must give “reasonable assistance,” but only to the extent they can do so without danger to themselves or others. You are never legally required to put yourself at risk.
What Each State Requires and Penalizes
Vermont
Vermont’s law (12 V.S.A. § 519) requires you to give reasonable assistance to a person exposed to grave physical harm, unless doing so would endanger you or interfere with important duties owed to others. Willfully violating this law carries a fine of up to $100. Vermont also provides liability protection for anyone who helps: you cannot be sued for civil damages unless your actions constitute gross negligence or you were being paid for the care.
Minnesota
Minnesota’s statute (604A.01) uses nearly identical language, requiring reasonable assistance at the scene of an emergency. The law explicitly notes that “reasonable assistance” can be as simple as calling for help from law enforcement or medical personnel. Violating the duty is classified as a petty misdemeanor.
Rhode Island
Rhode Island’s duty to assist law (§ 11-56-1) carries the stiffest penalties of the three. Failing to provide reasonable assistance is a petty misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail, a fine of up to $500, or both. Like the other two states, the obligation only applies when you can help without danger to yourself or others.
These Laws Apply to Everyone, Not Just Nurses
A common misconception is that these statutes single out nurses or other healthcare professionals. They don’t. The duty applies to any person at the scene. A nurse has no greater legal obligation under these laws than a teacher, a mechanic, or anyone else who happens to be present.
That said, a few states outside these three have separate, narrower provisions requiring healthcare professionals specifically to render emergency aid. These vary significantly in scope and enforcement. The broader pattern, though, is clear: in 47 states, neither nurses nor anyone else face criminal penalties for choosing not to stop at an accident.
What “Reasonable Assistance” Actually Means
None of these laws expect you to perform surgery on the side of the road. “Reasonable assistance” is intentionally broad and scaled to the situation and your abilities. For most people, calling 911 satisfies the requirement. Minnesota’s statute says so explicitly.
For nurses, the practical question is whether their training creates an expectation to do more than call for help. Legally, these statutes don’t distinguish by profession. But if you do choose to provide hands-on care, the standard you’re held to may reflect your training. An off-duty nurse who starts CPR or controls bleeding is acting within the kind of basic emergency response most nurses are trained for. What you would not be expected to do is perform procedures that require physician orders, hospital equipment, or medications you don’t have access to. Nursing scope of practice still applies at an accident scene. You cannot diagnose conditions or prescribe treatments, and you should only perform interventions you’re trained and competent to perform.
Good Samaritan Laws Protect You When You Help
Every state has some form of Good Samaritan law that shields people who voluntarily provide emergency care from being sued for ordinary negligence. These protections exist precisely to encourage bystanders to help without fear of a lawsuit. The protection has limits: it does not cover gross negligence (reckless or wildly incompetent care) or willful misconduct. And in most states, it does not apply if you are being compensated for the care.
In the three duty-to-assist states, Good Samaritan protections work alongside the duty requirement. Vermont’s statute, for example, explicitly states that a person who provides reasonable assistance under the duty-to-assist law is shielded from civil liability unless their actions were grossly negligent. So while the law compels you to help, it also protects you from legal consequences for good-faith efforts.
Ethical Obligations Beyond the Law
Even in the 47 states without a duty to assist, nurses often feel a professional and ethical pull to help at accident scenes. The American Nurses Association’s Code of Ethics emphasizes a responsibility to promote health and provide care, though it stops short of mandating roadside intervention. Many state nursing boards expect nurses to act within their professional values, even if no statute compels it.
The distinction matters. In Vermont, Minnesota, and Rhode Island, failing to help is a crime. Everywhere else, it may weigh on your conscience, and some employers or licensing boards might view it unfavorably, but it is not illegal. If you do stop to help in any state, your Good Samaritan protections apply as long as you act in good faith, stay within your competence, and don’t accept payment for the care you provide.