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Belay Accident At Climbing Gym. He’s Fine Now But Wants Me To Pay $5,000 Of His Er Bill

Location: Georgia

A few weeks ago, I was belaying my friend at a top-rope climbing gym using an ATC Pilot. I made a mistake of putting the device oriented the wrong way, so when he fell, it didn’t catch properly. He fell about 35 feet, but fortunately he was not seriously injured.

The gym staff called 911, and an ambulance took him to the ER. He was checked out, had scans done, and was released the same day. He told me his insurance covered around $5,000, but he still owes another $5,000 out of pocket, and now he’s asking me to pay that amount since it was “my fault.”

I feel terrible that this happened, but we were both climbing at a commercial gym, and both of us signed the gym’s liability waiver. And I had passed their belay test before this happened.

My questions are: 1. Am I legally responsible for his medical bills under these circumstances, or would this be considered an inherent risk of climbing covered by the waivers? 2. Could his insurance company come after me later (subrogation)? 3. If I wanted to offer some money as a gesture of goodwill, would that count as admitting liability?

I’m in the U.S., and both of us are college students, so this is a big deal financially. I don’t want to ruin our friendship, but I also can’t just hand over $5,000 without understanding my legal position.

Thanks for any advice or guidance on what steps to take.

submitted by /u/SlightLine2141
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Belay Accident At Climbing Gym. He’s Fine Now But Wants Me To Pay $5,000 Of His Er Bill

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