Bill Text: IN SB0468 | 2013 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Immunity for bowling centers.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2013-01-10 - First reading: referred to Committee on Civil Law [SB0468 Detail]
Download: Indiana-2013-SB0468-Introduced.html
Citations Affected: IC 34-30-27.
Synopsis: Immunity for bowling centers. Grants civil immunity to the
operator of a bowling center for injuries caused to a bowler who slips
or falls in the bowling center due to the presence of a substance on the
bowler's shoe that was acquired outside the bowling center and tracked
in. Requires the operator to post a conspicuous notice near the
entrances and exits to the bowling center. Provides that the civil
immunity does not apply if the operator fails to maintain the premises
in a safe condition or the injury results from gross negligence or willful
or wanton misconduct.
Effective: July 1, 2013.
January 10, 2013, read first time and referred to Committee on Civil Law.
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A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning civil
law and procedure.
Chapter 27. Immunity for Bowling Centers
Sec. 1. This act applies to a cause of action that accrues after June 30, 2013.
Sec. 2. The following definitions apply throughout this chapter:
(1) "Bowler" means a person in a bowling center for the purpose of bowling.
(2) "Bowling center" means a structure that has an area specifically designed to be used by the public for bowling.
(3) "Bowling shoes" means shoes that are specifically designed for the purpose of bowling.
(4) "Operator" means a person that owns, manages, controls, directs, or has the responsibility of operating a bowling center.
Sec. 3. An operator shall post a conspicuous notice in a
conspicuous place near each entrance to and exit from a bowling
center that reads as follows:
"Do not wear bowling shoes outside. Bowling shoes are
specialized footwear for indoor use only. Bowling shoes worn
outside may be affected by substances or materials, including
snow, ice, rain, moisture, food, or debris that may cause the
person wearing the bowling shoes to slip, trip, stumble, or fall
on the floor or alley surfaces inside the bowling center.
Indiana law makes a bowling center posting this notice
immune from liability for such an injury.".
Sec. 4. (a) Except as provided in subsection (b), an operator who
posts a notice as required by section 3 of this chapter is immune
from civil liability for an injury to a bowler that results from a slip
or fall inside the bowling center that was substantially caused by
a substance on the bowler's bowling shoes that was acquired
outside the bowling center before the bowler entered or reentered
the bowling center.
(b) The protection from liability under this section does not
apply if the injury results from an act or omission that amounts to
gross negligence or willful or wanton misconduct, or if the operator
fails to maintain the premises in a reasonably safe condition and
the condition substantially causes the injury to the bowler.
