I often hear from potential clients and handle cases for clients who were injured taking part in recreational activities such as ice skating. When you go to the rink, there are signs everywhere saying, “Skate at your own risk,” “You assume the risk,” “We’re not responsible if you’re injured.” For the most part, that is true. If you put your skates on, you go out on the rink, and somebody bumps into you, or you’re just not a good skater, and you fall, and you get hurt, 99% of the time, you’re responsible for the accident. That assumption of risk sign that is hanging up there will work in favor of the ice skating rink and therefore, you will not have a case in this situation.
However, if you rent a pair of skates from the rink, and while you’re skating, the blade separates from the boot, that is not a risk that you assumed would occur when you decided to go ice skating that day. You assumed that when you rented those skates, they were going to be fit for the purpose which was skating. There are some risks that you do assume, and there are some risks that you can’t assume because nobody’s going to expect them to happen. If you have been involved in an accident in skating, or bike riding, at a baseball stadium, and you’ve been injured, contact my office. We have the experience in looking into these to tell you whether or not you would have a case in that particular set of circumstances.
If you are in need of legal counsel in regards to a personal injury in New York, please contact The Law Offices of Jonathan D. Sands and we would be happy to assist you.