Re: Twin coils on ebay

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "Terry Fritz" <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>

Hi Michael,

Tesla coil "liability" is always a "fun" subject :-))

"I" just take the "stance" that people that go near Tesla coils are
suicidal maniacs that "I" can't control :-))  We post all the "disclaimers"
at all out web sites saying that this is a really screwed up and wildly
dangerous hobby, but still people jump into it like mad.  All we can do is
try to explain and warn them about the "safety stuff" in hopes that they
won't hurt themselves...

Let's make one thing "perfectly clear".  Tesla coils deal with thousands of
amps and hundreds of thousands of volts.  They are extremely dangerous!
Anyone who wants to play with such things does so solely at their own
risk!!  If you blow yourself into oblivion, that is your choice.  You could
be working in the garden or watching TV right now...

I could jump on a plane, patrol know sites of the "base jumpers", wrastle
them to the ground, cuff them up, and haul them to the cops... and still
get sued ;-))  Fact is, anyone can get "sued" at anytime for anything...
All we can do, is do the "right thing".  What counts, is what "wins"...

I don't know of any Tesla coil law suits...  Perhaps like Tesla coil
deaths, we should watch them and study them to make our hobby as safe as it
can be from the legal side too.  While the "hypotheticals" are endless, the
real successful lawsuits are what really count.  I have heard of maybe
someone getting hurt in Florida and going maybe to court, but no results...
 Anyone heard of any Tesla coil litigation going on???

Cheers,

	Terry


At 07:37 PM 7/15/2001 -0400, you wrote:
>To Mike, and everyone selling or renting Tesla coils, parts or services:
>
>As a retired and inactive attorney I cannot give legal advice ;-)  But... I 
>can tell you that I am concerned for those of you who fit this category.  
>Mike, I haven't seen the waiver you intend to present to the buyer of your 
>beautiful twin coil -- but have you thought about the fact that you could be 
>exposed to liability if someone Other Than the buyer is injured by this coil, 
>regardless of what the buyer signs?  This is only one of many issues that 
>needs to be covered in a waiver/sales agreement that would protect you in the 
>event something, sometime, goes tragically wrong.  Product liability laws are 
>extremely broad and it would be nearly impossible to write a waiver that 
>protected the purveyor of HV components or services without a large amount of 
>legal research -- or existing expertise in this field of law.  (I have no 
>expertise at all in this area and am not offering my services.)
>
>I am definitely not trying to be a wet blanket here, but I have grown fond of 
>this List and its contributors and I would hate to see someone's life screwed 
>up by a lawsuit that your homeowner's/renter's insurance Will Not Cover.  I 
>hope everyone in the category of purveyors will get good legal advice before 
>wandering into the talons of a personal injury attorney.  The (very few) 
>professional coilers on this list know what I am talking about and do not 
>need my advice.  But I am concerned about the rest of you...
>
>Though I doubt any of you few professionals will respond, it would be a real 
>service to members of this list if you have any helpful comments to offer on 
>this subject.  
>
>Regards,
>
>Michael Tandy
>
>
>> Hello All,
>>  I FINALLY got my Twin coil system up on ebay... 
>>  http://cgi.ebay-dot-com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1617224991
>>  Check it out
>>  
>>  -Mike Novak
>>  
>