Dragon Boat West

How many of you coaches out there have liability insurance?     Do you recommend having  insurance if you are coaching?   Does your club arrange and pay for your insurance or have you obtained it yourself?  Who provides this kind of insurance?  Any info greatly appreciated! :) Ss

I am not sure if there is an insurance policy specifically for coaches but I do know that my home insurance's liability section does cover me if I am held liable for an incident. Most policies have up to $1 million third party liability coverage. The question of liability is not always cut and dry though. I do know that if you have a home owner's policy or a condo policy the personal liability section should cover you in the event of a mishap. For example I asked my insurance broker what if I were to collide with a skier or snowboarder when I am on the hill on my own board, and the person I collided with got injured, would I be covered if it turns out I was negligent in causing that collision? The answer was yes. I asked the same about coaching and again the answer was yes. You should know though that insurance companies have to be absolutely sure that any incident is the result of their insured's action. In other words how did the coach contribute to the cause of the mishap? Was it an action he/she did or a decision that was chosen that led to the mishap? However it is my experience that usually most incidents such as those on a ski hill have joint liability. But with coaching incidents I don't know of any court actions so I am unable to say for sure if the insurance companies ponied up for the defense of the case etc. Just a bit of what to think of but I am no lawyer. Perhaps you should consult with one to be sure or even an insurance broker.

I am curious to know what,if anything,a coach could be held liable for?? All paddlers sign waivers and should be aware that injury can occur whenever vigorous physical activity is undertaken. Should I as a paddler be able to pursue legal action against any or all of my past and present coaches due to chronic injuries I have sustained over the past 10 years as a result of paddling?  If memory serves me correctly the FCRCC registration form has a waiver section  that states that paddlers are aware of and accept the risks that water sports may present.
Where does personal accountability on the part of the paddler enter in to this issue??  Nobody forces us to go out and race.
In addition, when races are being organized is it not a requirement that the organizing group have some kind of
event insurance in case  any mishaps occur??

rtsdhvy,

you are correct in your comments. What I was referring to is a coach could be held liable for insisting on going out and practice when the water conditions are not very favorable. Or if the coach is the steersperson of a boat and does something that causes harm to the crew. Or actually steering the coach boat into his crew somehow that causes harm. There could be lots of incidences that could become problematic and litigious. As for all those years of aches and pains that is not what I was referring to. That would be frivolous to attempt to sue for something like that! LOL  :?

Just make sure you don't coach a team of lawyers then msn(;))

Excellent question!!!

The dragon boat coaching community is still very community-oriented - not governed by a provincial body, nor are there coaching guidelines.

Back in 2001 I organized NCCP courses organized with Sport BC and ADBF.
I recommend all coaches should take NCCP theory level 1 and 2.

Water's Edge is offering Practical Level 1 for dragon boats.
This offers the best guideline for coaching dragon boats.

If the coach is registered through Sport BC, there are insurance options available for its members.
but how many coaches do you know are registered coaches?

Ski instructors are covered for insurance by the Ski school they operate from. 
If there was an organizing body or dragon boat training school that offered lessons, then liability would also fall on that organization.  For example, if False Creek Communiy Centre offers instruction for paddling, then they should also be liable for their instructions.

If dragon boat coaches ever got together and formed a BC Dragon Boat Coaching Association, but it would require some very dedicated volunteers.  Until then... Water's Edge has a list of coaches who have taken their courses.

Speaking of those waivers (FCRCC, Alcan, etc.), they contain some stuff that isn't legally enforceable. For example, no one can waive all future claims against another party. The law simply doesn't allow it. There is this thing called "gross negligence" that cannot be waived. The grey area is the definition of gross negligence. I am not a lawyer but this is more or less straight from someone who is.

As for coaches, you should think about this since you could be found liable for many different things. Steersmen as well.

How about the following situation: you take a boat out for an extremely hard practice and one of the paddlers keels over with a heart attack and dies. Let's say the paddler had a heart condition you didn't know about. As a coach, it's your responsibility to know the health of your team. Or maybe you did ask the paddler but he or she lied. If the relatives sue you for negligence, can you prove this?

Here's another scenario. You take a boat out when the weather is fine but there's heavy barge traffic. The steersman makes a mistake and you get swamped by a tug. One of the paddler's PFDs wasn't tied on properly and the paddler can't swim, so he or she drowns. The relatives sue you and the steersman for negligence. I've seen enough really bad steering on the creek to make this a believable risk!

So should coaches make their teams sign a waiver? Get liability insurance? I'm not saying you should but it is something to think about.

Hey Brainiac. It's obvious that you neither coach nor steer. Way to go. Just what we need. Clubhouse lawyers scaring people out of the sport. The sport has been going since 1986. How many dead have we seen from paddling? Are you an Insurance broker? Or, just a fear monger who sees nothing good out there?

Hey madcap. It's obvious you neither coach nor steer. Way to go. Just what we need. Weekend warriors taking foolish risks. The sport has been going since 1986. We've never seen any collisions, injuries, or boats sinking? Are you some kind of personal injury lawer? Or just a big dummy who sees no safety issues out there?

Sans rancune. ;-)

Do you *need* liability insurance...well, that depends on your own comfort level and risk assessment.  When you buy insurance for your car, did you purchase the Extended Third Party Liability insurance for coverage up to $5 million?  Bernman is right...if you have home insurance, it would cover you since it should provide for personal liability coverage.

i thought the goal of all coaches was to get their team to sink all geminis by whatever means necessary?  :?

Creeps. Retarded indeed. My god, have you all lost your collective minds? I have never seen in my life such a group of misfits and degenerates that have no class. Complainers and club house lawyers. You will all be very happy. I will never look at this website again. Shame on all of you. Such a group. Sorry little bunch. Can't even spell worth a damn.

gude ridance ser. just becuse wee cant spel gude like u don mean we stoopid and retarded

haha madcap, you're hilarious. im not a lawyer, but i thought braniac brought up some valid points that weren't meant to scare or inject fear, but to bring to light some legal issues that could arise. His scenerio's however unlikely were just something to keep in mind.

Good Netiquette anywhere suggests that you should 'talk' from the safety/anonymity of your chair, as you would in person, face-to-face.

You'd do well to remember that Madcap, lest you make yourself look like an utter fool.

consult more official resources out there,a good place to start is with the Coaching Assoc. of Canada and NCCP.

http://www.picosearch.com/cgi-bin/ts.pl?index=157343&query=insurance&SEARCH=Search&opt=ANY


Regardless of whatever insurance one has, it's the Coach's responsibility to ensure safety of his or her's athletes.
One particular threat everyone should be particularly aware of is needles around the Science World area, specifically the grass areas immediately surrounding DZ.

If I know I'm taking my group onto the grass, I quietly sweep the area for needles early, and tell the paddlers to 'check their areas' as well.  I've found a few to date btw, scary.   But due diligence requires the 'playing area' be swept for any other hazards like broken glass, nails etc etc in any case...   Makes sense if you're going to ask your paddlers to be jumping up and down, lying down and rolling about.