I started thinkng about this after swimming this morning at ASU and once again seeing that the 3 guards on duty were not in any of the chairs but instead were in the office texting and playing on duty.
So what happens if God forbid a swimmer is injured or dies in workout (I guess even if the guard is on duty)...can they sue the coach?
I know USMS has an insurance program for clubs and being to lazy wonder is anyone knows if it covers this?
I also wonder how many paidand/or volunteer coaches have any type of contract for this sort of thing?
Indeed, this would be a tragedy. I think the issue, however, is how concerned should any coach be about getting sued.
For outright negligence, a coach needs to be the one to suck it up. The problem is that even if the coach has done absolutely nothing wrong, he can still get sued and it can take getting far into the lawsuit (summary judgment stage or even well into the trial) before the coach is out of the case. In the meantime, the poor coach has had to go through a lengthy deposition, lost time from work to be prepared for depositions and trial, has lost sleep, and is filled with anxiety.
Makes people like myself who just want to help out my kid's summer swim team a little reluctant, no matter how well I might be insured. So, each time I want to help out in something and am fully insured, is it fair that I should just be prepared to be sued at any moment? Instead of this being the "cost of doing business" situation, is this not a cost of being a volunteer situation?
Is it o.k. that the cost of being a volunteer is that I risk getting sued? I don't think so. It is, however, a reality. I guess I'm willing to take the risk instead of living my life in fear. Coaching kids is very rewarding to me and I suppose worth the slight risk that I might have to be a party to a lawsuit.
That's kind of how I'm looking at it. However, I did mention this thread to the head coach and we discussed lifeguards for next year. Think our team pres. should have no problem with that. Bill S--I don't think any of us are trying to avoid legal action if we are negligent. I work very hard to prevent problems before they happen at our facility. However, the way my situation has been set up is dangerous. And I'm concerned that I could be sued even when I'm doing all I can to keep the swimmers safe.
The Head Coach is currently lifeguard certified because she coached for a USAS team for a little while. I am current in First Aid and CPR. I have previously been lifeguard certified but courses are TOO FREAKING LONG and expensive for me to want to re-certify when it's not required. Even if we had three lifeguard certified coaches on deck the sheer numbers of kids both in the pool and on the deck (not to mention the lower level ability levels of some of the swimmers at the beginning of the season) makes having at least one (probably more) dedicated lifeguard a great idea.
Indeed, this would be a tragedy. I think the issue, however, is how concerned should any coach be about getting sued.
For outright negligence, a coach needs to be the one to suck it up. The problem is that even if the coach has done absolutely nothing wrong, he can still get sued and it can take getting far into the lawsuit (summary judgment stage or even well into the trial) before the coach is out of the case. In the meantime, the poor coach has had to go through a lengthy deposition, lost time from work to be prepared for depositions and trial, has lost sleep, and is filled with anxiety.
Makes people like myself who just want to help out my kid's summer swim team a little reluctant, no matter how well I might be insured. So, each time I want to help out in something and am fully insured, is it fair that I should just be prepared to be sued at any moment? Instead of this being the "cost of doing business" situation, is this not a cost of being a volunteer situation?
Is it o.k. that the cost of being a volunteer is that I risk getting sued? I don't think so. It is, however, a reality. I guess I'm willing to take the risk instead of living my life in fear. Coaching kids is very rewarding to me and I suppose worth the slight risk that I might have to be a party to a lawsuit.
That's kind of how I'm looking at it. However, I did mention this thread to the head coach and we discussed lifeguards for next year. Think our team pres. should have no problem with that. Bill S--I don't think any of us are trying to avoid legal action if we are negligent. I work very hard to prevent problems before they happen at our facility. However, the way my situation has been set up is dangerous. And I'm concerned that I could be sued even when I'm doing all I can to keep the swimmers safe.
The Head Coach is currently lifeguard certified because she coached for a USAS team for a little while. I am current in First Aid and CPR. I have previously been lifeguard certified but courses are TOO FREAKING LONG and expensive for me to want to re-certify when it's not required. Even if we had three lifeguard certified coaches on deck the sheer numbers of kids both in the pool and on the deck (not to mention the lower level ability levels of some of the swimmers at the beginning of the season) makes having at least one (probably more) dedicated lifeguard a great idea.
