Summer Camp Accidents

Many parents worry about the dangers of letting their teens spend an entire summer staring at a screen.  A device small enough to fit in your pocket connects to a virtually infinite stream if violent imagery, unhealthy body image, peer pressure, bullying, and hateful rhetoric, to say nothing of online interactions leading to minors becoming victims of identity theft, sexual abuse, or worse.  Sending kids to summer camp seems much more wholesome.  Kids may hesitate to spend so much time in the wilderness, away from their devices and the comforts of home, but parents assure them that the worst thing that can happen is you get a lot of mosquito bites, or some poison ivy touches your arm; it’s nothing that topical medication can’t fix.  In fact, the most dangerous part of going to summer camp is the drive there.  Accidents that result in death or serious injury are much more likely to happen on highways or city streets than they are at summer camps.  When a severe accident happens at a summer camp, the summer camp is usually legally responsible.  A Columbia premises liability lawyer can help you if you have suffered injuries in a preventable accident at a summer camp.

The Untimely Death of Olivia Paige Grimes

In the summer of 2015, after finishing her sophomore year of high school, Olivia Paige Grimes attended Carolina Point Camp in South Carolina.  Tragedy struck when she was participating in a team-building activity called “Freebird,” where one teen rides on a pendulum swing suspended from ropes amidst the forest canopy while other teens on elevated platforms help guide the swing.  At some point during the activity, Olivia fell from the swing and landed on the ground 100 feet below.  She was pronounced dead at the scene.  She was 16 years old.

In 2016, a year after Olivia’s death, her family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Young Life, Inc., the company that owns the summer camp, alleging premises liability, which is when a place of business is liable for accidents caused by preventable unsafe conditions.  They alleged that the camp did not have a license to operate the Freebird ride, which news reports described as a “rope course.”  The summer camp issued a statement, saying that the ride was in proper working condition on the day of the accident and that all staff had received safety training about how to use it.  News reports did not indicate whether participants were supposed to be provided with safety harnesses, although it stands to reason that such safety equipment could have prevented the accident.  No news reports about the lawsuit have been published since 2016.  Most wrongful death lawsuits result in the parties reaching a settlement before the case goes to trial.

Let Us Help You Today

The personal injury lawyers at the Stanley Law Group can help you if you suffered a severe injury in an accidental fall at summer camp.  Contact The Stanley Law Group in Columbia, South Carolina or call (803)799-4700 for a free initial consultation.

Sources:

wyff4.com/article/camp-officials-release-statement-after-teen-s-deadly-100-foot-fall/7015958

legacy.com/us/obituaries/theledger/name/olivia-grimes-obituary?id=12250829