Mother Pushes For Changes To State’s Good Samaritan Law After Son Dies Of Overdose

A mother who lost her son to an overdose last year wants to see a change to the state's Good Samaritan law. Diana Wall said she wants people to be held accountable who fail to get help when someone is suffering. 

Wall said her son Avery was a quiet kid, but funny and hardworking. She said he was the love of her life and she doesn't want any other families to go through the pain she is feeling. 

Avery died of a drug overdose in May of 2020, just two weeks before his 20th birthday. 

"I mean the last time I saw him, he rode on his bike down the driveway, and then I never saw him again," Wall said. 

Wall said Avery was in a friend's bathroom for five hours dying before anyone in the next room called for help. 

"He was 19, I know he's legal and all, but he was just a kid, and he made a mistake, and he paid for it," she said. 

Wall is now hoping for change. She said she has contacted lawmakers asking for the Good Samaritan law to be expanded. She said she wants people to be held accountable if they don't get help. 

"Provide some sort of, whether it's through Good Samaritan or some other civil or criminal law, some kind of consequences for somebody who doesn't seek attention or duty to rescue," Wall said. 

Wall said she believes a person's choice to do nothing to help someone, should not be more important than somebody's life. She said above all, she's going to keep fighting for her son.  

"It's not likely to go through any time soon, and maybe never, but I'm going to try, it's the closest thing to justice I can get for my son," Wall said. 

Wall said both lawmakers seemed interested in looking into her request. 

She's also working on creating a support group for families who are going through a similar situation. If you would like to contact her for support, she can be reached by email at dianawall@rocketmail.com.