It’s Time For Camp

School is finally done for the year and our children are about to move on to the next stage in their life. However, before that many of them will spend all or part of the next couple of months at a summer camp that will offer enriching experiences, provide opportunities for growth and learning, and allow them to have fun. In Florida summer camps have a legal duty of care to keep our children safe. If they breach that duty and it results in injury to your child, the camp may be liable for damages.

The duty of care is a legal obligation that requires individuals and organizations to adhere to a standard of reasonable care while performing any acts that could foreseeably harm others. For camps in Florida, this means implementing and maintaining safety protocols to protect campers from injuries and accidents. This duty extends to all aspects of camp operation, including:

1. Ensuring that all facilities and equipment are safe, regularly inspected, and properly maintained.
2. Providing adequate and competent supervision for all activities.
3. Having appropriate medical protocols and personnel to handle health emergencies.
4. Ensuring staff are properly trained in safety procedures, emergency response, and child care.
5. Identifying and mitigating any potential environmental hazards that could pose a risk to campers.

If a camp fails to uphold its duty of care, resulting in harm to a camper, several causes of action may arise under Florida law:

1. Negligence – To establish negligence, a plaintiff must prove that the camp owed a duty of care to the camper, breached that duty, and caused injury as a result. For example, if a camp fails to fix a known broken piece of playground equipment and a child is injured, the camp could be found negligent.
2. Negligent Hiring and Supervision – Camps have a responsibility to hire qualified staff and provide adequate training and supervision. If a staff member’s incompetence or misconduct leads to a camper’s injury, the camp could be liable for negligent hiring or supervision.
3. Premises Liability – Camps must ensure their premises are free from dangerous conditions. If a hazardous condition exists and the camp does not address it, leading to an injury, the camp may face a premises liability claim.
4. Negligent Infliction of Emotional Distress – If a camp’s negligence causes a camper to suffer severe emotional distress, the camp could be held liable for the psychological impact, provided that physical harm or a narrow escape from physical harm occurred.