The time has come.

[MikeFerrara]

This weekend I'm finshing up a recreational trimix class for a freind.

By next weekend my insurance will be expired and I'm not going to renew it.

I'm glad to be finally finished but I truely dread having to go to Gilboa to do the class. I hope, for once, there aren't any ambulances comming in and out or people screaming for help.

 

[Warren_L]

Mike, don't you have to keep your insurance active for a while anyway? Even though you may not be teaching, the liability still exists that something may still happen?

 

[HammerNoMore]

Mike,

After it has expired, will your insurance still cover you for events that occured while you had active coverage?

James

 

[jbd]

This weekend I'm finshing up a recreational trimix class for a freind.

By next weekend my insurance will be expired and I'm not going to renew it.

I'm glad to be finally finished but I truely dread having to go to Gilboa to do the class. I hope, for once, there aren't any ambulances comming in and out or people screaming for help.

Sad news, but I understand. Hope you have some fun stuff planned for the future.

 

[MikeFerrara]

Sad news, but I understand. Hope you have some fun stuff planned for the future.

Plenty of diving...just no teaching.

After it has expired, will your insurance still cover you for events that occured while you had active coverage?

No it won't. However when I switched insurance companies a couple years ago when the prices went through the roof I lost all coverage for anything that happened prior to the end of my original policy anyway. I did way more teaching before I switched poilicies than I have since so I'm stuck with the greatest risk anyway.

Mike, don't you have to keep your insurance active for a while anyway? Even though you may not be teaching, the liability still exists that something may still happen?

They do have insurance for inactive instructors. I may or may not buy it. I didn't do that much teaching last year and I've only taught 2 students this year (one nitrox and one trimix). No one has ever been injured while while diving with me so it's unlikely there is a case somewhere pending that I don't know about.

I've never heard of an instance where some one showed up years later to sue because they didn't think you did a good job of teaching and niether has the insurance company.

 

[Warren_L]

They do have insurance for inactive instructors. I may or may not buy it. I didn't do that much teaching last year and I've only taught 2 students this year (one nitrox and one trimix). No one has ever been injured while while diving with me so it's unlikely there is a case somewhere pending that I don't know about.

I've never heard of an instance where some one showed up years later to sue because they didn't think you did a good job of teaching and niether has the insurance company.

The IDC just talked about cases where instructors have been sued years later (not that there were necessarily any grounds for being sued, but despite that lawsuits can be filed). They stressed that though things may be fine now, this doesn't prevent accidents in the future from happening and having the victim (or their families) come after the certifying instructor.

 

[MikeFerrara]

The IDC just talked about cases where instructors have been sued years later (not that there were necessarily any grounds for being sued, but despite that lawsuits can be filed). They stressed that though things may be fine now, this doesn't prevent accidents in the future from happening and having the victim (or their families) come after the certifying instructor.

When it comes to law I guess there aren't any certainties. Did they references any cases though?

I was told the same thing. They use that arguement to try to keep you from switching insurance companies also...once you switch you're no longer covered for anything prior. Since I did change insurance companies I would not be insured in the case of suits brought by most of my students anyway since most were taught prior to the new policy. I can't seem to find any instances of such a thing ever actually happening.

 

[fgray1]

They always go after the deepest pockets.
Sueing is one thing
Collecting is another.
I don't think you have to much to fear Mike.
Just my opinion.
Fred

 

[H2Andy]

Sueing is one thing
Collecting is another.

that's right. in fact, having insurance may just encourage
them to sue, since suing an individual who can declare bankruptcy at any time and wipe out all prior judgment
liens is usually a waste of money.

on the other hand, having insurance will mean that the
insurance company will defend you (i.e. provide and
pay for the attorney). if you dont' have insurance, the cost
of defending a suit will probably be prohibitive.

again, like Fred said, getting a judgment against you and
collecting on it are two different things, though.

 

[Warren_L]

When it comes to law I guess there aren't any certainties. Did they references any cases though?

I was told the same thing. They use that arguement to try to keep you from switching insurance companies also...once you switch you're no longer covered for anything prior. Since I did change insurance companies I would not be insured in the case of suits brought by most of my students anyway since most were taught prior to the new policy. I can't seem to find any instances of such a thing ever actually happening.

They actually did talk about a specific case where the family of a diver who died in a diving accident came back and sued the certifying instuctor. The diver was originally certified 14 years prior to the incident.

I also hadn't realized that by changing companies you would not be covered. They had explained that what was important regarding lawsuit is that you are covered at the time the suit is filed. When an incident happens is not as relevant.