Can You Sue a Gym for Injury from Faulty Equipment?

For millions of people, going to the gym, fitness center, or health club is part of their regular routine. But whether you hit the gym multiple times per week or only go every once in a while, you likely know that there can be a lot of ways to get hurt while working out, especially when things like weights and machines are involved. When you first became a member of the gym/fitness center/health club, you were likely asked to sign a liability waiver saying that the gym/fitness center/health club is not responsible if you get injured while working out. But is it ever possible to sue a gym, fitness center, or health club if you’re injured by their equipment?

While liability waivers are very common at gyms and health clubs, that doesn’t necessarily mean they are fully shielded from all lawsuits and it’s very important to contact a personal injury lawyer for help if you’re injured while using fitness equipment. The way these waivers are written varies from facility to facility and a lawyer will be able to review the liability waiver you signed and help you understand what your legal options are. For example, some liability waivers have been found to be unenforceable for being overly broad. Others might be written in such a way that it only applies to specific situations. 

If an injury was caused by a piece of defective gym equipment, you may be able to make a claim against the product’s manufacturer rather than the gym. That’s another situation where you should contact a lawyer right away because those cases can have a lot of unique challenges. There are three different ways products, of any kind, can be defective: 

• Defective Design: This occurs when a product is designed in a way that makes it unreasonably dangerous for people to use. 
• Defective Manufacturing: Manufacturing defects occur when the underlying problem isn’t how the product is designed, but an issue in the manufacturing process that makes the product unsafe to use. 
• Failure to Warn: Occurs when the manufacturer of a product fails to provide adequate instructions about how to safely use a product or doesn’t warn about potential hazards. 

If you think you might have a defective product injury claim, a lawyer will be able to help you find out if the product’s manufacturer could be liable and help make sure your case is handled correctly. Even if you didn’t purchase the equipment, you may still be able to pursue collecting damages from the manufacturer if the product is defective.

What About Fitness Centers at Schools & Community Centers?

Not everybody who works out at a gym or fitness center goes to one that is operated by a business. Instead, they might go to one that’s part of a local community center. Students might also have access to fitness equipment for physical education classes or colleges could have on-campus gyms for students to use. If you are injured while working out in these types of centers, it’s very important to contact a personal injury lawyer for help as soon as possible because there can be some factors involved that make those cases more complicated. Since schools and community centers may be run by government entities, there may be stricter rules that apply to lawsuits, such as shorter deadlines to file a claim. 

Contact a Michigan Personal Injury Lawyer

At Scott Goodwin Law, you’ll be able to get help from personal injury lawyers based in the state of Michigan. We have experience helping victims of a wide range of personal injury cases, including defective product cases. Contact us today to schedule a free case consultation and find out how we can help you.

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