Re: Haunted House Coil Use

["Jim Lux" <jimlux-at-jpl.nasa.gov> (by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net>)]

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> From: Tesla list <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
> To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
> Subject: Re: Haunted House Coil Use
> Date: Monday, July 17, 2000 8:28 PM
> 
> Original poster: "Barton B. Anderson" <tesla123-at-pacbell-dot-net> 
> 
> Hi Gary, 
> 
> In my opinion, the Boston Museum is either unaware of the possible
dangers or
> has specifically chosen to shut up about them. There are a lot of legal
reasons
> why they would. However, warnings are designed to prevent accidents. If a
> warning does prevent an accident, then I say display it. 
> 
> Bart 

Something like the Boston Museum (or the Griffith Observatory, here in LA),
has been running their HV stuff for many years, and so, could go into court
(or tell their insurance company), we have been running for 40 years with
no problems.  It is unlikely that the guy who is threatening to sue us
today was actually affected by our display.  It is more likely that the guy
who was allegedly injured contributed, say by a malfunctioning pacemaker,
etc. etc.

A long history of safety goes a long way to warding off lawsuits.  Vigorous
defense of lawsuits also helps.  It is rumored that Disneyland instructed
their carriers to never settle, which greatly reduced the number of claims.
Anyone contemplating a lawsuit (or their attorneys) goes through a cost
benefit analysis of some sort.  If you KNOW they aren't going to settle,
you're in for a substantial upfront expense until you collect at the end
(assuming that you ARE right, and the decision goes your way).  Of such
analyses are succesful mediations made: everyone comes out thinking they
got shafted (but equally).....

In the case of the museums, they are helped by having started doing this
back when we were a somewhat less litigious society, and had the
opportunity to develop a "positive loss experience" (i.e. no claims). Not
that anyone has actually ever sued for coiling injuries, but the overall
aura of "it's easier to say NO you can't do that, because we MIGHT be sued"
is a more recent development.

As a new coil display person, what you want to do is leverage off of other
professional displays that have proved their safety.  Point out
similarities, etc.  

I don't want to dissuade anyone from using appropriate placards and warning
signs.. Just don't be extreme.. You don't want to be in the situation of
the USFS, who can't put up warning signs on cliffs above waterfalls around
here, because if the sign goes missing, then someone can allege that there
was a known hazard (otherwise, why was there a sign) that wasn't
sufficiently placarded...