financial liability for injured vaulters

[keptwoman]

I’m concerned about a coach’s liability if a vaulter under his supervision is injured.

The major concern, of course, is the injury to the vaulter and the emotions that brings to the coach. Each coach will need to deal with those in his own way.

Here, I would like to learn how coaches deal with the potential for lawsuits and financial liability. How do you protect yourself from losing the proverbial “everything you own” in a law suit brought by a vaulter or the vaulter’s family? (In this story, over $6 million http://www.nhregister.com/general-news/ ... ns-lawsuit )

If you are employed as a coach, what insurance or other protection does your employer provide?
If you are a volunteer, what have you done to protect yourself?

Thanks to all for advice and information.
JMA

[rainbowgirl28]

I’m concerned about a coach’s liability if a vaulter under his supervision is injured.

The major concern, of course, is the injury to the vaulter and the emotions that brings to the coach. Each coach will need to deal with those in his own way.

Here, I would like to learn how coaches deal with the potential for lawsuits and financial liability. How do you protect yourself from losing the proverbial “everything you own” in a law suit brought by a vaulter or the vaulter’s family? (In this story, over $6 million http://www.nhregister.com/general-news/ ... ns-lawsuit )

If you are employed as a coach, what insurance or other protection does your employer provide?
If you are a volunteer, what have you done to protect yourself?

Thanks to all for advice and information.
JMA

If you are a high school coach, you need to find out if the school's insurance policy covers you. Some do and some don't. If they do not, check with the state coaches association. In many states, if you are a member of the Association, they will offer you liability insurance, but you have to find out the details to make sure, and it would only cover you coaching school kids at school practices.

If you are a college coach you should be covered as long as it is school kids at school practice. I would check with the school to see if there are any exclusions.

If you are a club coach, your best bet is to register your club with USATF, do the background checks, register your practices, and make sure all of your athletes are USATF members. Then you will have liability coverage at practices and meets and they will have secondary insurance coverage through USATF at practices and meets.

This is an important issue that all coaches need to think about.

[keptwoman]

Thank you. I'll look into those.
Here are extra details:
-Volunteer high school coach, so not covered by the school
-Member of NFHS, covered up to $1 million, but that doesn't seem enough, if a student is paralyzed for life, for instance
-Oregon (in some states, volunteers are protected from being sued, but not in Oregon, as far as I can find.)

Is anyone else out there concerned about personal liability and what being sued could mean to you financial security?

[rainbowgirl28]

Thank you. I'll look into those.
Here are extra details:
-Volunteer high school coach, so not covered by the school
-Member of NFHS, covered up to $1 million, but that doesn't seem enough, if a student is paralyzed for life, for instance
-Oregon (in some states, volunteers are protected from being sued, but not in Oregon, as far as I can find.)

Is anyone else out there concerned about personal liability and what being sued could mean to you financial security?

If an injured athlete's family is going to sue, they (or their lawyers) go after the deep pockets. A coach could get named in the lawsuit, but they are going to most aggressively go after the school, school district, the state association, etc. You should talk to Jan Johnson or Russ VerSteeg to see if there are any cases of a coach ever having to pay money out of pocket as the result of a lawsuit. The lawsuit you linked above was between the family and USATF, I don't think the official was sued (there weren't any coaches involved in that case).