Increasingly more people are becoming interested in getting into shape and improving their fitness. To accomplish those goals, gym memberships have become very popular. However, going to the gym and working out can lead to injuries if owners and managers are not careful.
If you recently suffered an injury while at the gym, you might wonder if you have legal cause to bring a lawsuit against the gym. A League City gym injury lawyer could meet with you to review the circumstances or your injury and let you know if you have any potentially viable legal options under premises liability law.
Can You Sue the Gym Where You Suffered an Injury?
Gyms can be dangerous to people because a large amount of people are working out around heavy equipment. Gym owners and operators can minimize the risk of injuries occurring by making their gym environments as safe as possible. If someone suffers harm because a gym or employee acts negligently or recklessly, the gym could potentially be liable for the cost of the injured person’s losses.
For instance, gym owners and managers should regularly inspect their machines for signs of wear and tear and other problems. If you break a bone because a piece of heavy equipment from a workout machine breaks off and falls on your foot, you might be able to sue the gym if you can prove that the gym employees knew the machine was broken and failed to warn you or repair it. Gyms should also perform due diligence when hiring prospective employees to work for them. If a manager failed to perform a background check and negligently hired a worker who claimed to be a certified physical trainer and the fake trainer encouraged a client to perform a move that resulted in a serious injury, the gym could similarly be at fault.
Shared Fault
However, gyms are not always responsible for a patron’s injuries. Sometimes, people act recklessly and are unaware of their limitations. For instance, someone new to exercising could try to perform a deadlift and end up with a herniated disc. Doing too many reps of a certain exercise could lead to a repetitive stress or strain injury. If you sustained an injury because of your own actions through no fault of the gym or a gym employee, you would not likely have the right to sue the gym.
Our League City attorneys could carefully review the circumstances of your gym injuries to see if the gym could bear legal responsibility.
Effect of a Waiver of Liability
When you sign up to be a member of a gym, you often have to sign a waiver of liability. In that waiver, you probably have to agree that you recognize the risk of injury working out at the gym and you agree to not sue the gym for any damages if you suffer an injury while working out there. Although Texas law generally recognizes the enforceability of such waivers, there are limitations. If you suffered an injury due to someone else’s negligence, the waiver would not likely prevent you from filing a lawsuit.
To determine the possible effect that a waiver of liability could have on your gym injury claim, you should consult with a knowledgeable League City attorney.
Meet with a League City Attorney if You Suffer Injury at a Local Gym
If you suffered an injury at the gym or any kind of exercise location, you might be entitled to seek damages in a lawsuit against the gym owner. Whether you suffered from broken bones or a TBI, you deserve to be compensated.
Meet with a League City gym injury lawyer at Schechter, Shaffer & Harris to discuss what happened to you.
