At Little League®
International in Williamsport, Pa., and at our Regional Offices, calls
and emails come in all year long about situations that are happening at
one of our 7,000 local leagues. Many of these calls and emails inform us
of some very positive initiatives spearheaded by our millions of
volunteers. However, there are also negative situations.
"Don't Let This Happen
to Your League" details a real-world scenario, how it has impacted a
league, and how you might learn from it.
The names have been omitted in the following scenario, but the situation is real.
The Situation:
A
local Little League program's Opening Day Planning Committee has
organized a wide variety of fun, family-oriented activities for the
players, families, and volunteers as part of its Opening Day
festivities.
In
a municipal park located within walking distance of the league's field
complex, a mini-carnival has been set up, complete with food vendors, a
set of mechanical/carnival-type rides, and an inflatable bounce house.
The mechanical/carnival rides and bounce house are staffed by parents
who signed up for one-hour shifts. During the day, two separate
incidents occur, one at a mechanical/carnival ride, and another inside
the bounce house, where children are injured.
A
young boy slipped as he was getting on one of the mechanical/carnival
rides, cutting the back of his head and sustaining a concussion. Nearby
in the bounce house, a young girl became tangled in the mesh netting and
broke her arm. In each case, the family took the child to the emergency
room. Since it was a league function, the Board of Directors submitted
the injury claim through their group insurance, expecting the claims to
be covered under the league's accident policy.
The Outcome:
When
the league submitted the two claims to Little League International,
both were denied by the insurance carrier. The reason given for the
claim denials was that the bounce house and mechanical/carnival rides
were not covered by the group accident and general liability insurance
for local Little Leagues even though the mini-carnival was a part of the
Opening Day event. In each case, the families sued the league for
medical expenses. Eventually, the league settled with the families, and
the amount of the settlements came to several thousand dollars which
were paid out of the local league's funds due to specific exclusions in
the insurance policies.
In
the first season following the settlements, the league was crippled by
the unexpected outlay of funds from their league account. Player
enrollment was directly impacted by the league having to increase its
participation fee by 50 percent and suspending its player scholarship
program for families unable to afford to pay the participation fee.
Enrollment dropped from approximately 350 participants to less than 250,
and the league could not afford to enter any teams into postseason
tournaments for the next two seasons.
No comments:
Post a Comment