On July 13, 2000 we were notified of the lawsuit and our attorney informed us of the Roller Skating Rink Safety Act which protects roller rinks from this type of liability. We contacted our State Representative Sidney Mathias and in January of 2002 he proposed the Ice Skating Rink Safety Act. The bill was opposed by the Trial Lawyers Association and never made it out of the House Rules Committee.

It was a very difficult decision for us at Twin Rinks to no longer hold public skating sessions. It appears, however, that with the current Illinois law our guards are responsible for the behavior of every skater all the time. We feel this is not a reasonable standard, and it would be impossible for us to maintain. Our insurance will cover this exposure, but the potential liability of the next accident is more than our coverage limits.