General Forum - RE: Legal Advice regarding the soapbox derby req`d - Page 3

Slowly all local events are disappearing for the same reason. Remember Woodchurch Wings and Things, Pete? Classic local event, scrapped because of horrendous insurance and risk assessment requirements.

Our Biddenden Blaze firework display that occurs every bonfire night, and raises thousands for local charities and clubs is also in danger of going the same way.

Bloody compensation culture - came from the USA, of course.

Its a pity you can't get an all encompassing disclaimer that has to be signed by both competitors and anybody viewing the event. Unfortunately, as someone else pointed out, you no longer seem to have to be at all responsible for your own actions anymore if an accident occurs.
Strange though isn't it, that in law you suddenly do become responsible for your actions when you break it!

I read that article with great interest (Cheers for bringing it to my attention, I'll be sharing that at the next meeting).

Personally, I'd have to say that if spectators throwing things at the competitors had become an issue, then I'd wager that it happened once a couple of years ago, and by word of mouth became an unofficial tradition. However, if ANYTHING was thrown at any of our spectators, either in fun or by malice, I'd personally put the entire event on hold until the miscreant was doscovered and escorted out of the area. And seeing as our marshals this year are a bunch of hairy-arsed bikers, I can't see that being a problem.

I'll add more once I've put a new arse on Max

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Right, all fragrant and dribbling.

The problem they seem to have isn't the numbers concerned. For the last few years, we've routinely had 5000 plus attend, and the amount of actual marshals for the event last year was about 10 (again, not a problem this year) and we had no problem with the crowd that we couldn't handle.

It seems that, as I stated in my previous post, a small group of people have come along to each event to cause trouble. Now, I'm not bragging, but if that happened at my event, then everyone in the immediate area would, as one, launch themselves on the offender and metaphorically string the buggers up. They should have nipped the trouble in the bud from the outset.

It sounds like there's an unpleasant undercurrent to the town of Hamble that we're not being told about, and if the insurance is one of the major factors of the cancellation, then it must be bloody astronomical. After our incident last year (which seems to have petered out... shhh..) our insurance went up to £500. For the entire event, which we get back anyway.

Having looked at other derbies on Youtube, I'd have to say we're one of the safest events going. The picture in the article was one of the first things that made we adopt a comically wide-eyed and open-mouthed expression. 5 people on one cart on what appears to be a deliberately dampened course. No wonder they couldn't afford the insurance...

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This item was edited on Wednesday, 23rd March 2011, 18:24

Tell the cart driver to counterclaim against her for a whippy if she does.

Gotta tell your insurers though.