Accidents in sports centres are more common than most people realise. Unless you work in a law firm you probably do not realise the amount of accidents and enquiries that we receive to do with sports centres. Accidents in sports centres (and in particular at the gym) are fairly common. Perhaps one of the main reasons for the increase in accidents is the increase in people attending the gym.
It is the responsibility of the owners of gyms and leisure centres to ensure that the premises are safe for the public to use and to eliminate any potential risks. The owners leave themselves open to personal injury claims if they do not provide a safe environment for the public.
Gym injuries could occur for a variety of reasons. There are the obvious accidents such as people slipping on a wet floor or tripping over mats or equipment. Injuries can occur through use of gym equipment especially if the person was not given any instruction on how to use certain equipment. When you start at a gym, if you are not familiar with the equipment, then you should be given a formal induction whereby you are shown how to use all the facilities in a safe and proper manner. Most gyms will insist on a mandatory induction even if you have used previous gyms in the past. If you are lifting weights for example, you can easily sustain injury if you do not use the correct procedure or technique.
Machinery should be regularly checked and maintained to make sure that it is safe. Like everything, with use equipment deteriorates and it is the owner’s responsibility to ensure that all the gym equipment is safe to use.
At leisure centres there is normally a requirement to have a life guard on duty. The life guard is there to prevent death or serious injury. If someone is in danger, for example they are drowning, the life guard is expected to get into the water and rescue the person as soon as possible; as is their duty and job. That is what they are trained to do. Obviously if an accident occurs and there is no life guard, it could be very difficult to escape liability. Life guards are also there to protect swimmers, such as by telling people not to dive into shallow water.
If you have sustained injury in a sports centre, leisure centre, gym etc then you may be entitled to make a claim for compensation. Please contact The Injury Lawyers today to discuss your claim.
