On May 16, 2024, Governor Wes Moore signed a landmark law in Maryland that prohibits waivers of liability for negligence in recreational facilities. This groundbreaking legislation ensures that recreational centers can no longer avoid responsibility for injuries caused by their negligence, even if participants have signed liability waivers. This change significantly impacts the legal landscape for anyone injured while enjoying recreational activities in Maryland.
What Are Liability Waivers?
Liability waivers are documents that participants sign before engaging in activities, indicating that they won’t hold the facility responsible for any injuries they might sustain. These waivers have been a common practice in gyms, swimming pools, sports complexes, and other recreational facilities to shield themselves from legal claims. Negligence occurs when a facility fails to uphold a standard of care, such as neglecting maintenance, providing insufficient safety measures, or failing to supervise adequately.
How Maryland’s New Law Prevents the Use of Releases of Liability
The new Maryland law invalidates these waivers when it comes to negligence. This is crucial for protecting individuals’ rights and ensuring that recreational facilities maintain high safety standards. If a facility’s negligence causes an injury, they can now be held accountable and may be required to compensate the injured party for medical bills, lost wages, pain, and suffering.
Here are three scenarios where this new law may come into play:
Climbing Wall Incident: Imagine you are at an indoor climbing gym, and the harness you are using breaks due to wear and tear that the gym neglected to address. If you fall and get injured, the climbing gym cannot use a liability waiver to escape responsibility for their failure to maintain safe equipment.
Pool Slip and Fall: At a community swimming pool, the deck is wet and slippery because staff failed to put up caution signs or clean up the area. If you slip, fall, and injure yourself, the pool’s management cannot hide behind a liability waiver to avoid compensating you for your injuries.
Trampoline Park Injury: While jumping at a trampoline park, you fall and get hurt because the park failed to replace worn-out trampoline springs. Despite having signed a waiver, you can now hold the park accountable for not maintaining safe equipment.
Speak with a Maryland Injury Lawyer About Your Case Today
If you have been injured in a recreational activity in Maryland, this new law may open doors that were previously unavailable. At Lebowitz & Mzhen, we have decades of experience helping injured clients and their families recover the compensation they need and deserve. We represent clients in Prince George’s, Baltimore, Charles, and Montgomery counties. If you have questions about your case, call us today at 800-654-1949 and schedule a free and no-obligation initial consultation with a Maryland injury lawyer at our office. Calling is free and because we take personal injury cases on a contingency basis, we will not accept payment form you unless we can recover compensation on your behalf.