Re: [Paddlewise] signing a disclaimer

From: Wayne Smith <wsmith16_at_snet.net>
Date: Thu, 9 May 2002 21:33:22 -0400
>From: "Steve Scherrer" <flatpick_at_teleport.com>

> In Oregon and Washington a liability waiver is worth alot.  I don't know
> where Wayne come from but we are very serious about the whole liability
> waiver thing.

Here in Connecticut, we have a thing laughingly called "tort reform" that
actually made waivers and settlement releases all but worthless. You can
get sued, settle out of court, have the "victim" sign a release, and then
have them sue you for making them sign the settlement agreement, or to
challenge it later on.

People still take waivers for various activities, but they seem to offer
very little protection. As a club officer myself, I made sure I had plenty
of liability insurance before I accepted the position. Can't be too
careful. However, I knowingly assume the risk of being sued because I love
paddling too much to just sit home worrying about ambulance chasers.

Wayne
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
------

Wayne Smith
wsmith16_at_snet.net

Check out my sea kayaking & homebrewing page:
http://pages.cthome.net/wsmith16/home.html



----- Original Message ----- >
> In a world where Disneyland rides and Wally Worlds are the norm, the Joe
Q.
> Publics needs to be reminded that THEY are ultimately responsible for
> themselves and hard as they may try, the guide/ instructor/ provider
might
> make a mistake.  He's trained to take this person out into this enviro
but
> dudu may hit the fan.  The BIG worth only comes when the guide/ school/
> whatever is able to back up what they are stating in the waiver.
>
> Let's say Johnny gets hurt on a kayak trip and sues.  Gary the guide
gets
> pulled into court.  Larry the lawyer gets on his case.
> 1. Gary has a cool signed release.
> 2. He works for a together company with a documented history of safety.
> 3. He's in the proper enviro with all the right kit.
> 4. He's trained and certified and has a up to date log.
> 5. He did what any normal guide in this situation would of done to
prevent
> the incident.
>
> IMHO Gary is now in a fairly good position to fight Larry and Johnny.
>
> Change ANY of the above to a " OOPS, Gary forgot to......." and Larry is
one
> happy lawyer.
>
> Steve (who's been getting peeps to sign release forms for almost 2
decades)
>
>
>
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Received on Fri May 10 2002 - 04:39:43 PDT

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