Who Is Liable if My Child Gets Injured at Camp?

As the school year winds down, many Michigan families are finalizing their plans for the summer. Summer camp is a great opportunity for kids to focus on their favorite activities and hobbies while spending time with friends.

Summer camp may require your child to be away from home for an extended period. If you sign your child up for summer camp, you will have to trust the company running the camp, as well as its employees, to make sure your kids are safe. The camp and its employees have a legal duty to provide reasonable care to your children while they are attending camp.

If the camp and/or employees of the camp breach this duty, they may have acted negligently. Negligence may contribute to or cause a camper to suffer an injury. Camper injuries may be caused by:

• Slip-and-fall accidents
• Horseback riding accidents
• Insect or animal bites
• Heat exhaustion
• Swimming accidents
• Bus or car accidents
• Fights with other campers
• Employee’s abuse

If your child is injured while at summer camp, you may be able to file a personal injury claim against the camp. Some examples of camp negligence include:

• Failing to properly supervise campers
• Failing to perform background checks on employees
• Failing to properly train employees
• Failing to properly maintain premises/equipment

The camp may be liable for employee negligence under the doctrine of respondeat superior, as long as the employee was acting within the scope of their employment at the time of the incident.

Summer camp should be a positive experience for your children. Even if your child’s camp made you sign a waiver to protect itself from lawsuits, the waiver may not apply if your child’s injury occurred due to the camp’s negligence.