Summer is finally here, and kids throughout the state are excited to go to summer camp in St. George, Utah. Unfortunately, while at summer camp, kids will occasionally slip and fall and injure themselves — and questions about safety and liability will undoubtedly arise.
Liability
Knowing who is liable for what is important when choosing a summer camp. Let’s say a participant at a football camp tears his ACL while getting tackled. While camp counselors will do their best to prevent injuries, they are not liable for this type of injury because getting hurt while getting tackled is an assumed risk one takes when signing up for a football camp. Now if the knee injury happens because of a kid stepping in a hole while running in the open field, the camp could be held liable — and it’s probably time to hire a lawyer. Getting hurt stepping in a hole is not a reasonable risk associated with playing football, which changes the liability from the individual athlete to the camp itself.
Safety
A slip and fall accident at a summer camp in St. George due to the failure of camp counselors to clean up or properly mark a mess is another scenario where the camp could be held liable — and hiring a lawyer is advised. If a slip and fall injury occurs due a missed football kick, the camp is not liable.
Waivers
In most cases, waivers that people sign when headed to St. George for a summer camp do not wave all liability like the camp thinks they will. After a slip and fall, it is important to ask a lawyer if the liability waiver actually waves the camp’s liability. For example, while many waivers say they are not liable for the death of a camper, death is something for which liability cannot easily be waived.
When it comes to safety and who is liable, ask yourself, “Does this seem like something that could reasonably happen at a summer camp?” If the answer is yes, the camp will most likely not be held liable for an accident.