Legal Question in Personal Injury in Washington

private liability waiver

We have 3 acres and a ''camplike'' setting but are a private residence. We have a pond, 100M zipline, 35 ft rock wall, creek etc. We like to have gatherings and have been having the kids parents sign a waiver. Any specific wording that we should use?


Asked on 5/25/09, 11:03 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys

Amir John Showrai The Pacific Law Firm, PLLC

Re: private liability waiver

Unfortunately, what you are asking for, neither I nor anyone here can quickly answer. That said, the type of situation you are looking to avoid requires an attorney to sit down with you, ask questions, and if possible look at a detailed map showing the topography of the property, although making a site visit would be better to try to look for things even you have not thought of that may leave you open to liability in the event of an accident.

The specific wording for such a waiver varies by situation and is fact specific. My advice is to hire someone local to you who can come look at the property. If you have assets and no insurance for this type of situation, I also suggest that you get an insurance policy in addition to having an attorney draft the waiver you are looking for.

Drafting one on your own is almost as worthless as the paper it's written on. Unless you are an attorney dealing with liability issues, I just don't think you'll be able to adequately address everything you need to on your own.

Last, whatever you do, avoid those boilerplate one size fits all forms from drug or stationary stores. Again, these are fact specific situations that if you really want to protect yourself, you'll invest a 3-6 hours worth of attorney's fees to have someone draft for you.

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Answered on 5/25/09, 11:18 pm


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