Arguing Treadmill Safety Standards

Source: sadlersports.com - Arguing Treadmill Safety Standards
Author: John M. Sadler

And liability releases come into play

A gross negligence lawsuit filed by a member of 24 Hour Fitness is all about the safety standards for treadmills… or the lack thereof.

The plaintiff claims she suffered a severe head injury after falling backwards off a treadmill and hitting another piece of steel equipment. The exercise machine she hit her head on was placed approximately 46 inches from the rear of the treadmill.

24 Hour Fitness argues that the plaintiff signed a liability release and that there is no treadmill safety zone industry standard. However, the plaintiff’s attorneys are countering by citing a section of the treadmill manufacturer’s owner’s manual and safety guidelines, as well as an expert’s statement that the plaintiff was put at risk by the distance between the treadmill and other piece of equipment.

According to ASTM International Standard F2115-05 there should be a clear distance of 20 inches on either side of the treadmill and 39 inches behind the treadmill.

“This standard, while not widely known by club operators, is very well known by the equipment manufacturers and has been effectively used in court cases,” said Steve Tharrett, president of Club Industry Consulting.

The plaintiff  is claiming that her signature on the liability release was fraudulently obtained.

On the day she signed the membership agreement she could neither speak nor read English, according to the suit.  The manager, who could not speak Spanish, showed her the membership fee on the computer screen and made exercise motions, which the plaintiff understood was the price for use of the facility. Since she could only read the numbers in the price, the plaintiff was not aware of the liability release provision included in the membership agreement when she signed.

We offer more articles on fitness center and treadmill safety and encourage you to read “Are Waiver/Releases Worth the Paper They are Written On?”

Source: Eric Stemgren, “Judgment Overturned in 24 Hour Fitness Treadmill Lawsuit,” clubindustry.com, 12 June, 2015.

Read Full Story: http://www.sadlersports.com/blog/arguing-treadmill-safety-standards/

Frances Sadler Honored with Top SCISA Award for Scholar Athletes in SC

Source: sadlersports.com - Frances Sadler Honored with Top SCISA Award for Scholar Athletes in SC
Author: John M. Sadler

Hammond School senior Frances Sadler was presented the South Carolina Independent School Association Bill Simpson Award on May 22 by Athletic Director Mike Fanning.

The SCISA Bill Simpson Award is the highest honor bestowed each on year on the top graduating male and female scholar athletes in the more than 100-member independent school system in South Carolina. The award exemplifies the academic and athletic ideals that Mr. Simpson represented throughout his career as SCISA athletic secretary. The award is based on a combination of SAT score, class rank, academic and athletic achievements, headmaster and coach recommendations, student service record and community service.

Sadler is an Honor Graduate, member of the Cum Laude Society, a Junior Marshall, and the recipient of the Joseph Walker-Sumpter Mills Clarke Scholar/Athlete Award. She played soccer and ran track for Hammond School. She was a starter on the varsity soccer team since the 8th grade and is thought to be the second-leading female goal scorer in Hammond school history. She has been named to the SCISA all-region, all-state, and all-star teams and the High School Sports Report All-star Soccer Team. She also participated with the Hammond Select Ensemble, was a volunteer coach with the Columbia Swim League, and raised over $28,000 for Hammond School through gift wrap paper sales.

Sadler plans on attending the Calhoun Honors College of Clemson University in the fall, majoring in engineering.

Read Full Story: http://www.sadlersports.com/blog/frances-sadler-honored-top-scisa-award-scholar-athletes-sc/

Top 10 Sports & Recreation Injuries

Source: sadlersports.com - Top 10 Sports & Recreation Injuries
Author: John M. Sadler

Where’s the outrage for non-football related injuries?

I was reading through a recent list of common sports and recreation injuries and began to wonder why football and other higher risk sports get most of the negative media attention? Why not boating, bicycling, skiing, snowboarding, inflatable moon bounce, ATV, golf carts, or home injuries? Why is the media not screaming for these activities to be banned? Is the media biased against football?

To follow is the recently published list that prompts the question:

1. Kids ages 5 to 14 made up 52 percent of football-related injuries requiring emergency room visits in 2012.


2. 
   

   The U.S. Coast Guard reported 500 deaths, 2,620 injuries and $39 million in property damage related to recreational boating accidents in 2013.



3. Alcohol use is the no. 1 contributing factor in fatal boating accidents and contributes to 16 percent of boating-related deaths.


4. The top five contributing factors to boating accidents are operator inexperience, operator inattention, improper lookout, excessive speed and machinery failure.


5. The National Highway Safety Traffic Administration reported 720 bicyclists killed and 49,000 injured in motor vehicle accidents in 2012.


6. 
   

   An average of 41.5 people died in skiing or snowboarding accidents each year between 2002 and 2012.



7. More than 90 percent of the 113,272 injuries treated in emergency rooms associated with inflatable amusements were related to moon bounces between 2003 and 2013.


8. Between 1982 and 2013, 13,043 ATV-related deaths were reported.


9. Approximately 13,000 golf cart-related accidents require a visit to the emergency room each year.


10. In 2012 there were approximately 89,000 accidental injury-related deaths in homes and communities nationwide.

It goes without saying that good risk management practices could have prevented many of these injuries and deaths. Whether you’re competing in sports or enjoying leisure recreational activities indoors or out, safety should always be a priority. Visit our risk management page for helpful information on keeping you, your teammates, friends and family safe.

Source: Spotlight, Insurance Journal,  04 May, 2015, Vol. 93, No. 9.

Read Full Story: http://www.sadlersports.com/blog/top-10-sports-recreation-injuries/

Bounce House Injuries

Source: sadlersports.com - Bounce House Injuries
Author: John M. Sadler

Lack of safety regulations means bouncer beware

Bounce houses are popular entertainment at carnivals, children’s parties, and other events. But news stories about flyaway bounce houses are becoming all too common.

More than 30 children a day are treated in emergency rooms across the country for inflatable-related injuries, such as broken bones and concussions. There were more than 113,000 injuries and 12 deaths associated with inflatables nationwide between 2003 and 2013, according to a U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission report.

Inflatables, which include bounce houses, water slides, and bounce-slide combinations, are not regulated nationally. Each state sets its own guidelines and some, like Florida and Nebraska, have no safety or operational standards in place.

Renters and users should be aware of the guidelines in their state and make sure the company providing the inflatable is practicing them. Ask to see the rental company’s inspection checklist and make sure they followed the printed warning labels when setting up the inflatable.

The Child Injury Prevention Alliance website offers bounce house safety tips for parents and children.

Source: Dan Krauth, “Company Behind Bounce House That Went Airborne Involved in Another Accident,” nbcmiami.com. 08 June, 2015.

Read Full Story: http://www.sadlersports.com/blog/bounce-house-injuries/

UF Softball’s Great Bambina

Source: sadlersports.com - UF Softball’s Great Bambina
Author: John M. Sadler

Gator pitcher ties the Babe’s record

University of Florida senior Lauren Haeger tied Babe Ruth’s record of pitching at least 70 winning games and hitting at least 70 home runs. Nicknamed the Haeger Bomb, the Gator pitcher is a wildly popular player who boosted ESPN’s prime-time broadcast of the last three games of the Women’s College World Series to 2 million.

Haeger is idolized by thousands of young softball playing girls who want to be just like her.

“It’s great to be a role model for them and show them it can happen because I was once in their shoes,” said Haeger.

Haeger is a product of the UF athletic program, which is serious about gender equity. Athletic director Jeremy Foley has watched his Gator teams  win the SEC All-Sports Trophy 22 of the last 23 years and 14 national titles since 2008 (more than than any school in the country). The UF women have won 10 national titles in the last five years.

 

Source: Mike Bianchi, “Bianchi: Haeger’s sunflower power is reason Gators softball outdraws NHL,” orlandosentinel.com, 06 June, 2015.

Read Full Story: http://www.sadlersports.com/blog/uf-softballs-great-bambina/

MLB and USA Baseball Hit Home Run with Pitch Smart

Source: sadlersports.com - MLB and USA Baseball Hit Home Run with Pitch Smart
Author: John M. Sadler

Program aims to reduce youth pitching injuries

Major League Baseball and USA Baseball recently developed the Pitch Smart compliance program to help identify the youth baseball organizations that have adopted its principles and guidelines.  Pitch Smart offers players, parents and coaches guidelines on avoiding overuse injuries.

Organizations can be designated as being in “full compliance” or “select compliance.”

Organizations in full compliance are required to:

1. follow the Pitch Smart pitch count and rest period guidelines pertaining to pitch counts across all competitions;


2. request that players, coaches and parents follow all additional Pitch Smart guidelines;


3. post or link to the Pitch Smart information on the organization’s website;


4. distribute Pitch Smart information to all coaches;


5. include Pitch Smart information in all formal coaches’ meetings; and


6. encourage parent and player awareness with the inclusion of Pitch Smart information in team orientation meetings.

Organizations in select compliance are required to:

1. follow the Pitch Smart pitch count and rest period guidelines across select competitions;


2. request that players, coaches and parents follow all additional Pitch Smart guidelines;


3. post or link to the Pitch Smart information on the organization’s website;


4. distribute Pitch Smart information to all coaches;


5. have a developed plan and continue to show progress in adopting all of the Pitch Smart full compliance standards standards.

“Education supporters” will also be recognized by the program. These groups help in promoting awareness of the Pitch Smart principles and are making continued efforts toward compliance in the program.

For a full list of organizations in full or select compliance, visit the Pitch Smart website, which also offers information on other pitching risk factors. You can also read more articles related to pitching injuries on our blog.

Read Full Story: http://www.sadlersports.com/blog/mlb-usa-baseball-hit-home-run-pitch-smart/

Treadmills Account for Most Equipment-related Health Club Injuries

Source: sadlersports.com - Treadmills Account for Most Equipment-related Health Club Injuries
Author: Sadler Copywriter

And most are preventable

The treadmill is the riskiest of all workout machines because it has a motor that propels it, unlike ellipticals and stationary bicycles. However, most injuries are minor and deaths, as in the David Goldberg case, are rare.

There were an average of three treadmill-related deaths per year reported between 2003 and 2013, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. There were 24,400 treadmill-related injuries requiring emergency room visits reported in 2014.  There were 62,700 injuries related to exercise equipment, which includes weights, trampolines, swimming pools, and golf clubs. Treadmills account for the largest number of injuries in that category.

Emergency room doctors report that the majority of injuries from sports equipment are associated with overuse, such as an injured tendon from a long run on a treadmill.

Treadmill accidents tend to occur more frequently among older and inexperienced users. Getting instructions on use of the machine is key in avoiding treadmill accidents and consulting with a physician before embarking on treadmill activity is highly recommended for seniors.

Unknown heart problems can surface with exercise, which can cause people to die suddenly while exercising. These types of hidden heart problems can be caused by a genetic abnormality or chronic coronary disease that cannot withstand strenuous exercise. Heart problems account for about 80 percent of sudden deaths in which people collapse and are unable to be resuscitated.

For more information see “Injuries at Gyms and Home.”

Source: Sabrina Tavernise, “Treadmill May Be Riskiest Machine,” nytimes.com, 05 May, 2015.

Read Full Story: http://www.sadlersports.com/blog/treadmills-account-equipmentrelated-health-club-injuries/

Benching of Youth Participants and Resulting Lawsuits

Source: sadlersports.com - Benching of Youth Participants and Resulting Lawsuits
Author: Sadler Copywriter

Parents who pay want their child to play

It’s not yet what you’d call a trend, but there’s certainly an uptick in the number of parents filing lawsuits to get their child off the bench and onto the playing field.

Parents put out big bucks in registrations fees, equipment and travel costs associated with high school and youth club and travel teams, to say nothing of the time they invest attending practices and traveling to games. Many parents sacrifice their time and money for their children hoping to get the attention of college coaches, earn scholarships, and improve chances of college admissions – or even advance a professional athletic career. So, it’s understandable that some are dissatisfied when their child rides the bench more than he or she plays. In other words, they expect a payoff for their investment.

There is also an increase in lawsuits by parents of children who have been cut from teams, injured, disciplined by coaches or penalized by officials. But is hiring an attorney the answer? Many are questioning not only the attitude of entitlement, but how the children, who generally play for the fun and camaraderie, are affected by such lawsuits. What are the children learning when parents step in so heavily handed to smooth the way? Will they learn they’re entitled to play on a team simply because they attend practice? And are parents setting these athletes up to be bullied by other team members?

The increasingly competitive nature of youth sports has helped shift many parents’ focus from fun, exercise and sportsmanship to an investment in their children’s academic and professional futures. Youth sports officials are watching the case of a 16-year-old volleyball player. The girl earned spot on a volleyball league but ended up on the bench, so her parents filed suit against the volleyball association, alleging it won’t let the girl play or to switch teams, per the contract she signed.

General Liability policies, which typically only respond to certain lawsuits alleging bodily injury or property damage, don’t cover these types of lawsuits that allege loss of college scholarship or loss of pro career. Such lawsuits generally require a Professional Liability endorsement on a General Liability policy or a stand alone Professional Liability policy.

Source: Tracey Schelmetic, sportsdestinations.com, 21 Apr. 2015.

Read Full Story: http://www.sadlersports.com/blog/benching-youth-participants-resulting-lawsuits/

2015 American Youth Football & Cheer Insurance Program Released

Source: sadlersports.com - 2015 American Youth Football & Cheer Insurance Program Released
Author: John M. Sadler

The gold standard that is the envy of the competition

The American Youth Football and American Youth Cheer endorsed insurance provider, Sadler Sports Insurance, has released the new 2015 insurance program for teams /associations /conferences.  Detailed 2015 coverage and rate information  is now available on our website Our online enrollment became operational on May 16, 2015.

The 2015 offering is, once again, the gold standard in youth football and cheer insurance with an unbeatable combination of low rates, broad custom coverages, and best-in-industry automation that allows instant online enrollment and issuance of proof of coverage documents and certificates for field owners. But that’s not all: the program also provides best-in-industry risk management resources to prevent injuries before they become claims and groundbreaking studies on safety in youth football and cheer.

Apply, pay, and print proof of coverage documents and certificates in as little as 10 minutes

Our advanced automation is so simple and fast that you can complete the entire insurance purchase transaction and print all your documents in as little as 10 minutes. Many competitors require the completion of forms and days of waiting just to get a quote. Then, once the quote is bound, it can take several days to get the proof of coverage document sand certificates for field owners. Or, they could charge $100 extra for next day rush delivery.

After the purchase, we provide our clients access to our website so that they can self-issue certificates for new field owners 24/7. It’s so easy and our clients love this benefit.

Beware of competing programs that seem too good to be true

We often hear stories about a competitor offering cut-rate policies with a per team rate that is too low to be believable. Whenever this happens, something ends up being defective with the offering, which illustrates that if something is too good to be true, it usually is. We’ve seen cases where the quoted price did not include the cost of both the Accident and General Liability policies, where the organization never reported the transaction to the insurance carrier and no insurance was in force, and where a big corporation was going to foot the bill for the insurance (dream on), etc. After a little bit of digging, these schemes fall apart.

What is being done to combat the risk of concussion/brain injury and related litigation?

Sadler Sports Insurance has released a new Football/Cheer Concussion Awareness Risk Management Program (short form) that is strongly recommended for all teams/associations/conferences. This free program can be downloaded from our risk management page. This program consolidates accepted risk management practices into a three-page document for easy board adoption and implementation. An important element of this program is the new Tackle Sure coach training program, which is endorsed by AYF. The cost is $5 per coach and covers effective and safe tackling techniques on a step -by-step basis. It is important for all teams/association/conferences to thicken their shields by adopting and fully implementing a comprehensive concussion/brain injury risk management program. The future of our sports depends on this action and it’s the right thing to do to protect the kids.

What is being done to combat sex abuse/molestation post Sandusky?

We introduced a simple one-page Child Abuse/Molestation Protection Program – Administrators (short form) that, if adopted by your board and fully implemented, will greatly lessen the chances of an incident occurring within your program. The free program can be downloaded from from our risk management page.

Best-in-industry risk management resources (free)

We have an incredible line up of free risk management resources including articles, legal forms, risk management program templates in  Microsoft WORD format for your easy adoption and customization, and training videos for administrators and staff. This includes the newly created document entitled Sample AYF/AYC Advanced Plan, which is a comprehensive risk management program customized for AYF/AYC organizations and is available exclusively to our current clients in the password protected section of our risk management page.

Be a part of groundbreaking injury studies

If you purchase your insurance through the endorsed insurance program, all Accident claims automatically become part of the database where our custom software analyzes the information to produce meaningful injury reports. This has led to groundbreaking studies on  the comparison of injuries in age only vs age/weight categories and the incidence of concussions within AYF/AYC.

Read Full Story: http://www.sadlersports.com/blog/2015-american-youth-football-cheer-insurance-program-released/

Spotlight on Sports Disability Insurance

Source: sadlersports.com - Spotlight on Sports Disability Insurance
Author: John M. Sadler

Lloyd’s of London claim denial based on applicant’s failure to disclose

MARQISE LEE
Photo credit: Kirby Lee, USA TODAY Sports

A former University of California football player’s landmark lawsuit against Lloyd’s of London is putting almost as much attention on sports disability insurance as the upcoming2015 NFL draft. The suit was filed by Marqise Lee, a former Trojan receiver who alleges Lloyd’s denied the  $4.5 million disability insurance claim filed.

In 2013, potential first-round draft prospect Lee chose to sit out the NFL draft and remain playing for USC for one more year. He purchased loss of value and permanent disability insurance from Lloyd’s that would ensure him the difference between his rookie contract and a baseline of $9.6 million. Lee paid the $94,600 premium using funds from an NCAA-compliant loan taken out specifically for that purpose.

Lee was injured later that season, and was forced to sit out several games and play with injuries the rest of the season. With his draft prospects greatly diminished, he was a second-round pick in 2014 and signed a four-year $5.1 million contract, resulting in the $4.5 million difference he filed for in his claim.

Lloyd’s says Lee misrepresented his injury history by failing to disclose health-related information when he applied for the policy. Lee claims Lloyd’s breached the policy and made the denial in bad faith.

As with any insurance policy, all questions on applications must be completed fully and truthfully. Otherwise, the door is open for the insurance carrier to deny a claim based on fraud in the application. The basis for such denials is that the carrier would have rejected the application or charged a much higher premium had full information been disclosed in response to the question. When gray areas arise when answering application questions, a professional insurance agent can be an invaluable resource to help guide the applicant through this sometimes difficult maze.

Source: Don Jergler, Insurance Journal, 13 Mar. 2015

Read Full Story: http://www.sadlersports.com/blog/spotlight-sports-disability-insurance/