Friday, August 12, 2011

Ice Skating Accident: Can I Get Sued?

Today I went for the public recreational skate. I am 15 years old and have good control over moving forwards and stopping. Previous times I have been told to slow down by the attendants but thats nothing short of regular for everyone. Moreover he wasnt a fan of me being there, I think the feeling was mutual between all of the attendants. However about 15 mins after i got on the ice I turned in to the boards at a considerable speed and did not notice a man along with child skating backwards. It appeared as though that man was teaching his child how to skate. Let me make it clear that the community center has one quarter of the rink reserved for the little guys who are learning how to skate. The child was maybe 3-4 years old. Now as I was turning in I did not notice him turning backwards and was concentrating on getting through the turn. I am a dilligent and concentrated skater so I did not notice him coming in from my blindspot. At the last second he turned unexpectedly and we both crashed. I managed to stay on my feet and stop while the man and his child fell to the ice. The child started crying and the male who was teaching him to skate presumably his father/older brother got up and started swearing at me with the f word and so on so forth. Now the attendant who had witnessed the whole incident came by and said you cant be going that fast. I said I was sorry but the man was in a rage. The attendant escorted me off the ice while the man was shouting for a suspension. The child was crying and they were very concerned over his condition. Now afterwards the father seemed calm as he filled out the accident report with the attendants. The attendant came over and asked me for my name and my home phone number which I gave to her truthfully. I understood I was at fault here as well and my friends who had also witnessed the accident told me that it wasnt my fault. Not being reured however I came here as a solution. The lady told me that I was not allowed to go back on the ice for today but I may come back any other day and resume skating. However I am still concerned over the trouble I may get in to. Other then a little rattled the child did not seem hurt and neither did the father, Now my question is finally: Can I be sued for an accident like that? I do not think there were any major injuries and the child was wearing a helmet, the child should have also have been in the learn to skate section if he could not skate independantly. So can I be sued and what advantages and disadvantages do I have? Please and thank you.

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