Yard Haunt Liability

[Blame Elvis]

Hey everyone,

Every year me and Jonathan (jhc36) do a yard haunt for the kids in his neighborhood. Each year has been bigger than the last, and with each year has come new issues.

There is one issue though that is concerning me as we go forward with our haunt plans for this year, and I was hoping some of you industry insiders could give me some insight into how to properly manage it.

The past two years we have had issues with crowd control. Not necessarily in regards to the volume of children, but with unruly kids causing a scene and being disrespectful to the actors and most importantly, to the haunt itself. Last year they almost brought down an entire wall!

That being said, this year we'd like to be more prepared for this problem. First, we plan to have a larger security presence in and around the haunt. My thought here is that if nothing else, perhaps the visible security presence would deter unruly kids from acting too wild.

The second solution we have is in regards to verbal liability warnings before the kids enter the haunt. You've all heard it before, "Don't touch the actors and they won't touch you, blah blah blah." I'm terrified that a kid is going to get hurt in our haunt and try to sue Jonathan or something. Plus, it never hurts for kids to hear about the dangers of trying to tear down the place before they go in.

Does anyone know of the statutory laws that relate to this type of situation? If you are a haunt owner, what measures do you take to reduce your haunt's liability?

This may sound really strange to be bringing forth these issues for a yard haunt, but one day I would love for our haunt to be a really extravagant event for charity, and I'd hate for that to be ruined by a trivial incident that happened in our "infant" years.

Regards,

Eddie

[slaughter]

Elvis,
What you guys are doing is almost exactly how of event started way back in 1981. Here are few tips I'll share, they might work for you guys or not, but they have served us well in the past.

First do you "charge" to enter..if not then I see where some people might not "care" if they get kicked out due to not having any thing to loose by being banned or kicked out.

Anyway here are some hints,

1st-GET INSURANCE!  This should be self explanatory.

2nd-Have an adult monitor your line while the kids are waiting to go in.
  A trained eye can spot trouble before it happens, if there is ANY thought that that a kid might cause trouble address him personally before he enters, You might have to be a little hard on him, just say something like "we already have had some kids causing problems tonight & it's not going to be tolerated damaging props or touching actors Will be considered as acts of vandalism or assault and we prosecute, so if we are going to have a problem may be you shouldn't enter....This might sound REAL hard to you but it works on kid & adults. Plus I'd rather them get a little mad & leave than MY haunt or actors get damaged.

3rd-Get security. It might sound like over kill, but TRUST me it's worth it. The first year we had a sheriffs deputy, I realized how GREAT it is not to have to deal / referee all this. Plus the uniform WILL stop a lot of problems before they happen. It's not really expensive either I think we pay or officers like 15.00 an our with a 3 hour minimum so for like 45.00 a night I don't have to worry about any of that stuff. If you don't want a real officer use a relative, BE SURE to refer to him as OFFICER "------------" in front of your crowd while waiting to enter. Dress him in black "swat" type tactical pants, shirt & hat that say security. It's a lot like you costumes in your haunt. If you make it believable enough it will cut down on problems, especially mixed with rule number 2.

4th-limit you groups to a small numbers
The smaller numbers will cut down on problems, plus it's tougher for kids to say "it wasn't me"

5th-Fake video cameras
This one might not be for you, but we use a few "fake" cameras mixed with real ones they can be bought as cheap as 7.00 & are battery operated with a red light & some even move back and forth. You can put up a sign that reads "you are under video surveillance" this works well with rule # 2 . If you have a ticket booth, you might want to put one up there as people pay they see their on camera.

6th- Heavy construction
A good defense to injury/damage to your haunt is to build it as "heavy" duty as you can. I realize this isn't always possible but as a haunt operator you should be able to tell where the scare will be coming from & reinforce the opposite walls.

7th- Have Fun
This might sound strange, if you talk to the kids in line & establish some sort of relationship with them it cuts down on problems, ask they have you guys been here before? if so what did you like, what do you think is scary, who is the "BRAVE" one in you group ... do you want to go in by yourself, this will let you feel out how is scared & who might cause problems, also most kids don't want to tear down something their "friend" built.

I hope some of this helps, as you can tell I LOVE HAUNTS & HALLOWEEN! I would be more than glad to help you guys if I can, just mail me.
Slash you later,
SLAUGHTER

[Prof. Hacker]

Hi Elvis,
Yard haunts have changed a lot since my start (way back in '68). 
It's way more involved than my brother dressed as a ghost and (monster) me making you reach behind the curtain to feel peeled grapes!  Nowadays, home haunts are every bit as involved as any 'pro' haunt (sometimes more!).  And with that, home haunts find they have to deal with the same concerns.

First off, carefully inspect your haunt for any possible safety concerns. 
Be sure your design has a good path, and is well constructed for your scares, as Slaughter mentioned.
Be safe is #1.  (at the Hacker House, #2 is "hide the bodies")  ;-)

As long as you're not charging admission, your homeowner's policy should cover any problems. 
It may be worth a check with your agent just to be sure. 
If you're accepting donations or charge admission, there may be some issues with homeowner's coverage, so checking is definitely recommended.
In the event that your insurance agent says 'no', ask about a special "rider" for your event.
These are available for large parties or weddings at homes. 
It may be worth it to have that coverage. 
If they come back with 'no' again, there are separate special event insurance policies available, but that route may be expensive.
I have heard of creative ways to do fundraising at home haunts, such as giving out cards with information how to donate, that avoids the 'cash trap'.

I would recommend thinking like a 'pro' haunt when working with crowd management:  setting up queue lines, entry/group management, lighting, directional & warning signs, watching & interacting with guests, etc.

Take a bit of time to create a "what to do" page that informs your staff what to do in different situations, and take some time to go over it with your staff.  This training goes a long, long way to maintain order in the chaos.

I highly agree with Slaughter that, if you feel you need *any* security, nothing beats an 0ff-duty police officer. 
We use Sheriff's Deputies, and they are EXCELLENT. 
At Hacker House, you meet a Deputy as you go in, and you'll see them in and around the event. 
They are there to let everyone know we're serious about safety, and they're trained to recognize potential troublemakers *before* they go in.  They will stop anyone from going in if they're being rowdy.
I would differ on using friends or family as 'security'. 
This can get you into legal trouble if they act, in any way, "non-professionally". 
Back in my early days, an errant teen would be picked up by the scruff of the neck and shaken to straighten them out. 
Nowadays, that will get you a lawsuit. 
Officers are trained for any crowd management situation, and they have two things that no one else has:  a police two-way radio, and they can use the phrase "officer needs assistance". 
It's the best investment we make every year!

Here's to a Great (and Safe) Season!

-Prof.

[Blame Elvis]

Fellas,

Thank you very much for responses, your input is really appreciated!

We will definitely look into this stuff in more detail as time gets closer

-Eddie