Liability Waivers

The majority of activities in which one takes part require that the participant sign a liability waiver that professes to remove all liability from the organization for any injuries that occur and place all of that liability on the participant. While these are extremely popular, it does not actually mean that the organization is safe from liability.

The first problem with any liability waiver that an individual is asked to sign is that the liability waiver might not actually have been written specifically for the organization and checked over by an attorney first. This means that it might not be valid for its purposes at all.

Many of the waivers that people are asked to sign are taken from form books or passed from friend to friend. In these circumstances, the language used in the waiver might not be sufficient in any way, shape, or form to protect the organization from liability.

The next problem with liability waivers is that courts generally do not like them. They have gotten a bad name as being an extraordinary measure taken by a facility or organization to push not only liability for the participant’s silly mistakes that result in injury but also the facility’s negligence onto the injured party.

It is one thing to protect oneself from being sued because the participant messed up or did something careless. It is a completely different thing to expect an innocent participant injured by a facility’s negligence to take responsibility for that negligence. Because of this difference, liability waivers are commonly disliked by courts.

Contact a Jacksonville Personal Injury Lawyer

If you have been injured but signed a liability waiver, do not assume that this bars you from recovering damages. Contact Jacksonville personal injury lawyer Donald Guthrie to discuss your injuries and any liability waivers at 904-296-1088.