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Weather Safety in Outdoor SportsKerri CebulaAssistant Professor of Sport ManagementKutztown University of Pennsylvania

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Introduction

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+Pennsylvania 400 @ PoconoAugust 5, 2012

Timeline of Events:1:00 pm – Scheduled time of race.

2:58 pm – Green flag drops.

3:40 pm – Severe thunderstorm watch issued.

4:12 pm – Severe thunderstorm warning issued.

4:21 pm – PIR tweets that severe thunderstorms are in the area.

4:42 pm – Rain starts falling at the track.

4:54 pm – NASCAR calls race – Jeff Gordon declared winner.

4:59 pm – PIR tweets again.

5:01 pm – Lightning strike kills Brian Zimmerman of Moosic, PA

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+Pope John Paul II vs. PottsgroveSeptember 7, 2012

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+Lightning Deaths in United States and TerritoriesSource: www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/statistics.html

Total Deaths

Pennsylvania Wisconsin Leisure Activities

2006 48 1 2 18

2007 45 1 1 20

2008 28 1 1 13

2009 34 1 0 9

2010 29 0 0 11

2011 26 1 1 19

2012 28 2 0 19

2013 (6/27) 7 0 0 5

Total 238 7 5 114

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Legal Duty

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+Legal Duty

Is there a legal duty to protect spectators?

Courts have generally said no.Special Relationship

Dykema v. Gus Macker Enter., 492 N.W.2d 472 (1992)

Patton v. USA Rugby, 851 A.2d 566 (2004)

Foreseeability

Davis v. The Country Club, Inc., 381 S.W.2d 308 (1963)

Hames v. State of Tennessee, 808 S.W.2d 41 (1991)

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What Should You Do?

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+What Should You Do?

Follow recommendations/requirements.

Have a plan in place.

Communicate the plan.

Follow the plan.

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+PJP Weather Safety Plan

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Conclusions

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+Conclusions

It appears there is no legal duty to warn spectators of impending severe weather, but it is still a good idea to do so.

“People still have to take ownership of their actions. We can clear the grandstands, we can institute our severe weather plan, and then people can still choose not to follow it.”

Ed Klima, Director of Emergency Services at Dover International Speedway