What happens when someone uses a private dock for emergency purposes and has an accident and gets hurt; will the private dock owner be sued?
In emergency situations, those individuals using the dock should know their use is at their own risk. Can we minimize the risks of emergency uses? NYPA Response: As part of the Comprehensive Relicensing Settlement Accord (Comprehensive Accord)[1], NYPA and the Local Government Task Force agreed to guidelines for the LMP. One of those guidelines was that there would be “No trespassing on privately owned docks except in cases of marine emergency.” Thus the draft LMP prohibits “trespassing on privately owned docks except in cases of marine emergency.” No one can predict if there will be a lawsuit if there is an accident on a private dock in an emergency situation. NYPA encourages individual Permittees to have adequate liability insurance to protect the Permittee’s interests. NYPA will work with the adjoining landowners, if there is an interest, to develop signage that explains to the general public that there is no trespassing on privately owned docks except in the case of marine emergenc
