Release Form

[Fedyvon]

Hello there. We've assembled a pretty group of guys to play a weekly rec game on some of my family's laned. I'd like to get a simple Accident Waiver Form for each of the guys to sign, just so they can't come back and try to sue my Father-in-Law and Uncle. We are all friends, but you never know how people will react when they see a possible payday. Does anyone have any suggestions where I can find a free form like this? Thanks in advance for the help.

[OWNAGE]

Create your own in Word.

The easiest (and simplest) waiver would say:

By signing this, you lose all rights to sue if anything happens to you.

Name: ______________
Signature: ____________

Or something similar

[edudcixlsyd]

http://www.dfwap.com/DFWAP/paintball_waiver.pdf

from my field

[Mentalmonkey10]

Don't know if this idea would be legal, but I would just edit some from your field on the computer, so the fields name would be replaced with "So and so's property" or something along those lines.

[Fedyvon]

Thanks for the great link. That pretty much sums up exactly what I need to be said. I'll just modify it slightly to cover our particular properties, and keep the signed forms on file for each of the players. My greatest hope is to never have to use one, but a little C.Y.A. can go along ways sometimes.

Thanks again for the help.

[nerdcore]

Don't quote me on this but the waiver may not actually protect you at all if you don't have adequate insurance backing up the waiver. Otherwise it's about as good as a blank piece of paper.

[Headhunter]

Don't quote me on this but the waiver may not actually protect you at all if you don't have adequate insurance backing up the waiver. Otherwise it's about as good as a blank piece of paper.

You're correct in this. A waiver doesn't protect you from anything but it is a requirement by insurance companies for regulated fields. Even then it doesn't stop people from taking some sort of legal action.

[413sonix]

Say like if someone's mask broke then they couldn't sue the field but they could go after the lense company or the paintball manufacturer for making inadequate products. Am I correct on this?

[w3tw1lly]

Say like if someone's mask broke then they couldn't sue the field but they could go after the lense company or the paintball manufacturer for making inadequate products. Am I correct on this?
Could be hard due to they would argue you tampered with it or someone was shooting at an EXTREMELY FPS at a damaged mask.

[Fedyvon]

You're correct in this. A waiver doesn't protect you from anything but it is a requirement by insurance companies for regulated fields. Even then it doesn't stop people from taking some sort of legal action.

Wow, I didn't know that at all. Is there anyway to protect my family from friends who might get hurt? Any advice would be great.

[413sonix]

Yeah true, but could you try and take legal action against the companies?

[engage]

dont quote me on this ether but i think you could get insurance but nhot really worth it that waver would give you some protection in court just because the judge would know that the person realized they could get hurt
or maby you could get them to sign a contract saying they wont sue or anythin of that sort

[nerdcore]

Wow, I didn't know that at all. Is there anyway to protect my family from friends who might get hurt? Any advice would be great.Unfortunately, getting insurance to cover such a situation is costly and definitely not worth it, since the insurance alone could almost be as much as what someone could sue you for, so it's a catch 22 there.

You could still do the waivers, review & acknowledge the safety precautions especially with masks, purchase a chrono so you know that you're shooting within legal velocity limits, and maybe even having a few very close (& responsible) friends or family members act as referees so you know there are people focusing exclusively on safety. Now all of this won't protect you 100% but it will give you some leverage if you were taken to court.

Of course, if anything happened and they decided to be jerks and filed a lawsuit, you could just say they were trespassing.:P

[Headhunter]

Your best bet in addition to a waiver is to make sure that you take every precaution you can to ensure the safety of every player.
Do you have a Chronograph? What FPS are you going to use?

Is the field/playing area clearly marked and cleared of hazards(anything that could cause someone to trip or get seriously injured ie, barbed wire, broken glass, jagged edges of metal or wood)? How big is your playing area?

Is there a 'safe' area where people can go and rest, work on their equipment, and get ready to play? Is that area near the playing area? How close/far is it? Is it seperated by a barrier of some sort. Is the 'safe' area a NON-SHOOOTING area and is it clearly marked as such?

Are you going to use refs? How many?

And these are just some of the things to look at when trying to set-up a field. In a nutshell, think worse case scenario and try to eliminate the risk. Talk with the other players and get their help. Establish yourselves as a club with by-laws and codes of conduct. Hope this helps some.

By all means don't get discouraged, remember anything worth doing is worth doing right the first time safely. If setting up a field was easy, everyone would have a few. Heck, I'd still have mine...

[Fedyvon]

Wow, that's alot more complicated than what I had imagined. I'm not sure if I made myself clear, but this is purely a rec game by invite only. Just out on the farm, with no true rules or regulations. We may have to take it to that point, but it's way down the road. We're just out to take our best shots and have a good time.

[elfwoo2]

just type up something saying you and whoever are not responsible for any injuries including death and are not liable for anything that happens on this day and property.

[Headhunter]

Wow, that's alot more complicated than what I had imagined. I'm not sure if I made myself clear, but this is purely a rec game by invite only. Just out on the farm, with no true rules or regulations. We may have to take it to that point, but it's way down the road. We're just out to take our best shots and have a good time.Even for a "By Invite Only" rec game, it never hurts to keep things safe. Nobody wants a good time ruined by the host not preparing the area properly. I suggest having a "Field prep BBQ". Invite everyone who you plan to invite and have them assist with setting up the field. This way everyone is involved with the safety preparation of the playing and staging areas. I used to do this when I owned a field. I'd invite all the players to come out and help clean up "their" field for the up coming season. Afterwards, BBQ at my house, the next weekend, we opened. It worked out great and it showed me up really cared about the field.

[Fedyvon]

That's a great idea. I've taken the task of setting up the field myself just to have the control on the playing area. I should get the rest of the guys involved just so they will feel as vested as I am. It helps that I live closest to the field at only 15 minutes. Some guys drive 45 min to an hour to come play. I think a good game and good field is worth the drive though, and there's no rental fees. With our new CO2 refill station, the only cost is paint. Sounds like a heck of a deal to me.