[SEL] Dogs on show grounds (OT?)now fences...again.

[Gary Epps]

Peter,

There are a couple of points that Curt didn't mention.  First, if you 
wish to operate without insurance and you get lucky and in the event 
someone is injured, sues you with no damages awarded, you may still be 
liable for legal fees.  If you win in a case involving machinery in 
motion, I wouldn't be surprised if you might have a large legal bill to 
pay, because I think you probably would have had a really good attorney 
arguing your case.

The second point is that while there may be no federal or state laws 
requiring insurance coverage, a local government or a private or 
corporate entity may require proof of insurance in any anount they 
choose($1,000,000  $10,000,000  or $xxx,000,000)as well as be named as 
an additional insured on your liability policy for the event held on 
their property.  It is a small distinction, no, they don't require 
insurance for such events as engine/tractor shows, unless you want to 
host the event on their property, ie. the local fairgrounds etc.

The basic principle of insurance remains:  Spreading the risk among many 
and charging each a small amount and acruing for the big claim.

Gary

Curt wrote:
> Peter,
> In the States there are no federal laws saying that a public event has 
> to be covered by liability insurance. To my knowledge there are no 
> states with such laws in place either. In fact some states have passed 
> laws stating that for many public events, the organizers cannot be held 
> liable for injuries. In particular equestrian events.
> 
> In the States as a club (or an individual) you would be free to put on 
> an event without liability insurance. You are free to take your chances 
> that no one will be injured. You are free to take your chances that if 
> someone is injured they will not sue you. You are free to take your 
> chances that if you are sued, the jury will not award damages to the 
> injured, for which you or the club would be responsible.
> 
> In my opinion, for any public event of any significant size one would be 
> nuts to assume such risk, but none the less you are FREE to make that 
> decision.
> 
> Once one decides he needs to insure his public event, he contacts 
> several private insurance companies and requests quotes to provide 
> liability insurance. The one buying the insurance decides how much 
> insurance they wish to buy. If they want they can buy as little as 
> $100,000 of insurance. I'd venture a guess that many buy $1 million 
> dollar policies.
> 
> For certain the agents selling the insurance know nothing about the 
> hobby and you will never see an insurance booth set up at a show. They 
> really don't care. They are simply assuming a risk for public injury for 
> a specific period of time, independent of the event. It could be a 
> concert, a car show, an engine show, etc.
> The only hiccup was a few years ago after the Medina, OH steam traction 
> engine explosion. It was nearly impossible to purchase liability 
> insurance for the first couple of years after that accident if you were 
> going to have steam at your show. Now that all states are up to snuff 
> and have annual boiler inspections in place, the insurance companies are 
> beginning to insure shows that have steam again.
> 
> What I gather has happened in Oz is that the insurance conglomerate has 
> lobbied your legislature to put into place laws that demand liability 
> insurance for all public events. Whether or not this was the best thing 
> for Oz is yet to be determined, but it is undeniable that it is a 
> collusive effort to extract dollars from each and every person, and to 
> spread the results of law suits amongst the entire populous. But that is 
> the essence of socialism isn't it!
> Mind you this is not a slight against Oz. My observations of the 
> wonderful people of Oz is that everyone seems happy and content.
> However, to someone with the _freedom_ to make the choice about 
> insurance, your system seems intrusive, coercive, and imposing. Everyone 
> in Oz shrugs this off saying it is only $15 a year, so what! It works 
> for you. It is simply a different system.
> 
> Curt Holland
> Gastonia, NC
> 
> 
> Peterwoodmore at aol.com wrote:
> 
>>> From one who was at the Friday night meeting right to the end.
>>
>> The insurance rep stated that the insurer put no restrictions at all 
>> on rallys and that they would cover our negligence. The NHMA imposed 
>> the rules or guidlines through a sytem of risk management ( which is 
>> the buzz word for all things in this modern era).
>> However if there should be a claim in the future  due to negligence 
>> then the premiums paid by the clubs and individuals would reflect this 
>> but would not necessarily preclude us from being insured.
>> Could the Yanks please explain there system of public liability 
>> insurance , I have been told that it is paid individually along with 
>> house insurance is that so? Everybody seems to be an expert on what 
>> happens in Oz lets here from the rest of the world
>>
>>
>> Woody
>>
>> Peter Woodmore
>> 27 Craig Ave Moorebank
>> 2170
>> NSW
>> Australia
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>>
> 
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-- 
In the Ozark Mountains of South Central USA where both life and I move 
at a leisurely pace.