The Worst Waves of Summer: Family Fun, Accidents and Liability Waivers

With only a few more weeks of summer left, many families may be trying to squeeze in one last fun-filled weekend. For many, that involves the Indiana State Fair and its enormous midway. For others, it may be a trip to Holiday World in Santa Claus, Indiana. For others still, it may be a visit to one of central Indiana’s new “escape the room” experiences or a trip to the race track.. Whatever fun may be in store, if it involves anything other than simply standing outdoors, it will likely entail a liability waiver. We see them all the time—they are those paragraphs of legalese that most of us sign without reading, often containing bold font and titles such as “hold harmless agreement” or “indemnity agreement” or, unimaginatively, “waiver of liability.”  Whatever they are titled, their purpose is the same: to protect the business, event, venue, or other involved party from liability in the event of an accident. So, what happens if you’re injured by the business’s negligence but you’ve signed a waiver? Fortunately, you may still be able to recover damages for your injuries, but it’s much harder to do in Indiana than in other states.