Third party dive insurance

[Zero-Viz]

This is always a contentious one. One of the pre-requisites for guests on our club trips are that they have 3rd party insurance. We have a number of self employed members and days off to go to court or spend convalescing cost money. They have bills to pay and families to support so in my opinion it's a good thing. Would you drive your car with no insurance? Considering the money we all spend on expensive kit, 3rd party insurance is a no brainer. If you read these boards they are full of what if scenarios so why shouldn't the same thing apply here?
I wouldn't want to sue someone and take their house off them but I would if they were negligent and had put me in hospital for 6 months or worse, much rather I'd sue an insurance company. God forbid it ever happens but who knows what's round the corner. I've done a lot of dives and of course seen accidents happen and fortunately nothing serious but I have heard of many situations where 3rd party insurance has been used.
Remember it's a fine line between a small accident and serious one.

cheers

Nick

[chrisch]

Originally Posted by Barbel

...Even though when i did my OW i had to sign a wavier. I would doubt the validiate of this depending on the situation.

If this is not the case we will soon be asking buddys to sign waviers. Especially if on holiday and being buddyed with total strangers.

Under UK law it is not possible to take away liability for personal injury. The waivers are not worth the paper they are written on and technically are "illegal".

Chris

[JamesW]

Originally Posted by Barbel

Everybody as that not just divers.

Correct

[chrisch]

Originally Posted by Zero-Viz

... Considering the money we all spend on expensive kit, 3rd party insurance is a no brainer. ...

Why? Just more money for greedy dishonest insurance companies.

Chris

[Zero-Viz]

Originally Posted by chrisch

Why? Just more money for greedy dishonest insurance companies.

Chris

Until you need it.

[MattS]

Originally Posted by Mark Davies

There is a BSAC obsession with insurance, and sure people in BSAC clubs do get sued as we have seen above - but frankly that's probably only because the insurance exists in the first place!

Considering the risks of what we are involved in I would think it irresponsible not to have 3rd party insurance within a club. It's a bit like an Octopus, you carry it for the sake of your mates. Diving presents inumerous ways in which we can injure each other. I don't care how much of a mate my fellow club members are, they could potentially make a mistake which results in my being unable to work and I would have no hesitation in suing them.

It's like sueing your partner if they happen to be driving in a car crash in which you are injured, because it is the insurer who is going to pay out, not them. You certainly wouldn't be doing it otherwise.

Let's say that accident results in the rest of your life in a wheel chair. Can you actually afford to pay for the care needed to live in relative comfort. Or would you prefer to live off other people's taxes at the mercy of the state. It's a crap situation but without insurance it is a much worse situation.

It's a personal choice but I certainly don't have insurance and see very little value in it for personal recreation diving.

Just wondering how you feel about those scrotes that drive their cars around having made a personal choice not to be insured?

You may not have specific diving 3rd party cover but that is not to say one of your other policies does not cover you.

In my opinion the 'issues' created by the insurance requirements within clubs make it far more trouble than it's worth.[/color][/font]

Well I can only speak for my branch but we have never had an issue with the 3rd party insurance. It is probably the one thing that I have not heard a club member objecting to pay.

As far as I am concerned the only issue with BSACs 3rd party insurance is that it appears some of the leading lights attempted to use it to beat members into conforming to their whims. Things have moved on since then.

My personal view is that you do not need 3rd party insurance when either;
1. You are so perfect that you can not possibly injure another.
2. You can afford to pay the full recompense from your own pocket.

So that rules out 99.999% of YDs audience.

[nigelH]

Originally Posted by MattS

My personal view is that you do not need 3rd party insurance when either;
1. You are so perfect that you can not possibly injure another.
2. You can afford to pay the full recompense from your own pocket.

3. You obviously have no money so they'll end up paying their own costs and getting £5 a week for forever.

[dry suit diver]

Originally Posted by chrisch

Under UK law it is not possible to take away liability for personal injury. The waivers are not worth the paper they are written on and technically are "illegal".

Chris

oh and don't pADI dive centres in the UK just love it when you tell them that.

[marjory]

Reading between the lines, and just taking a rough poll of those on this thread alone, I'm guessing there's a slight majority in favour of third party insurance here. Part of me (the law abiding, eager to please, socially aware part!!) is making me want to sort out some cover right now. On the other hand, the (bolshy) part of me thinks we're at risk from one thing or another from the minute we're born - that's life - and if I get insurance against me making an honest mistake in one area of my life, what about all the other scenarios? Should I insure myself against just walking down the road in case I cause an accident there? I'll probably end up with some insurance but I can't help feeling that it's not just the people who suffer diving accidents who are the victims - I think we are all being made victims by the way insurance companies etc manipulate the way we think. Anyway, glad I asked the question, and thanks for all the food for thought.
Marjory.

[hyweldavies]

Originally Posted by colinicky

We as a non affiliated club have Dan insurance for the club & as it was put to us you only need to be at a dive site & your cylinder falls over on the toe of a ballet dancer & your in the ****. Dan club insurance covers all our members both for club dives & for diving when not arranged by the club .

That's fine for mangling Nuryev's feet, but only for diving related incidents. Are these any more likely than in any other walk of life, unless you have hundreds of different policies for every conceivable 3rd party eventuality ?
Car and house-related presumably are covered, but everything else ?


Whilst I can see the point, there's a need for a sense of proportion