People often assume that when they are injured at the beach, they have no one to blame but themselves — or at least that there’s no one they can hold legally responsible if their injuries require medical treatment or they incur other financial losses as a result. That’s not always the case.
Here in Kentucky and across the country, there are private beaches as well as state-run beaches. In fact, Kentucky has a number of beautiful beaches managed by Kentucky State Parks.
If lifeguards are stationed throughout the beach, they’re responsible for doing everything in their power to prevent drownings and other injuries. They’re trained to provide emergency aid. They can’t be everywhere and see everything. However, they and those responsible for the beach can be held liable if they didn’t provide the expected standard of care in keeping beachgoers safe.
If someone is injured at an event held at a beach, the event planners, hosts, sponsors and those responsible for the beach may have to assume some liability for injuries. It depends on what the situation is. Beaches are regularly the settings for volleyball tournaments, barbequing contests, boat races and myriad events where injuries can occur.
Some beach property is privately owned. If you’re injured on someone’s private beach, the property owner may have to be liable, depending on the circumstances.
If you were injured while visiting the beach and you believe that those responsible for the maintaining and keeping the property safe or those responsible for a beach event could or should have prevented it, you may want to talk with a Kentucky premises liability attorney. He or she can help you determine whether you have a case.