The plague of rising insurance costs has caught up with The National Park Service. Its really a shame having taken an excursion there myself. Link to announcement below.
That’s really too bad.
They should just make everyone promise that they won’t sue of something happends — I’m sure that would work.
Unfortunately in this sue happy society we live in designing a “sue proof” waiver is a virtual impossibility. Covering all the things that you are releasing from liability would easily take 3 pages of fine print, whether an adult can sign off for a minor child, bystanders along the rail line who have not signed off, willfull or even accidental negligence by the operator, etc., etc. A sad situation, but one that can’t be overcome without a constitutional amendment which is never going to happen.
That reminds me of a story that I once heard…not sure if it’s an urban myth or not.
Something happened to the effect that the parents signed off a permission slip for their child - 17 years old or so, the child got hurt, but because the waver was signed the child couldn’t sue the place where it happened, so the child went and sued it’s parents because they signed off for the child.
That was the big joke later in school when we would go on field trips.
A child couldn’t sign the concent form, yet it wasn’t legally binding for the parent to sign FOR the child.
Pretty crazy world out there.
thats too bad.I hope it doesnt affect steamfest.
stay safe
Joe
While I expect insurance has become much more expensive, I suspect the real reason is that the National Parks Service budget has been on a downward spiral during the Bush years, thus making the spending for anything a bigger burden on the budget.
I’ve been to Steamtown 15-20 times (I Live very close) and only twice have I rode the train but 90% of the people that go there go for the ride so they are hurting.
What really happened is the Delaware Lackawanna wanted Steamtown to buy I certain brand of insurance that was expensive so they decided to stop the trains. This has been rumored around here for months.
Really, look how bad it has gotten when someone sues because they spilt hot coffee on themselves while driving, and (this was a while ago) a prisoner sues the jail housing him for “putting him in danger” because he escaped.
Suing and legal affairs, just as with globalization and “pork barrelling” have gone tooo far in America.
It’s a shame something as historic as a steam locomotive museum has to be affected by it.