I think what’s sad, Stonoman and Palmetto Bug, is that we live in a country where we are all in constant fear of a lawsuit. Our society has gotten to a point where someone who is privileged enough to own such beautiful properties and would like to share it with a few members of the community can’t and won’t from fear of a lawsuit. I’m still young enough and fortunate to not have been sued. I’ve never sued anyone and only thought about it once (I was assaulted with a spade shovel, so you can’t really blame me) but decided not to. I understand fully, the implications of allowing someone to enjoy your property, whether it’s hunting, fishing or just waking. If someone snaps their ankle on your dock they might sue you and - in the world we live in - probably will. What’s worse, is our government and our appointed justices often find in favor of these people and their frivolous claims. People refuse to be held accountable for their own mistakes.</font id=“blue”> I’m glad I wasn’t raised that way, but, sadly, a lot of people are…
That’s why they call it fishing, not catching…
Dustin,
Truer words have never been spoken. Note the color of the highlighted quote. Therein lies our problem…
“I’m not a hundred percent in love with your tone right now…”
I mentor kids through a charity you have probably heard of. These are kids from single parent homes. I take them to my farm and out fishing and realize that I do it at considerable personal liability. Not only do I have to worry about the single parent with whom I have the mentoring arrangement, I also have to worry about the deadbeat, out-of-the-picture biological father who could also sue me if anything were to happen. You need to put yourself in the shoes of the guy who was accused of being a cold hearted wealthy property owner before you judge.
Palmetto, I get your point, man! You’re beating a dead horse at this point… Ion almost completely agreed with you in your first response. And while I realize your point, I still think he could have just told me instead of making me walk the plank of shame. Really great of you to mentor children though! You should have them sign a consent form before having them on your property. It would be tragic if you were sued while being a great role model for a kid in need. PM me your charity! If possible, I’d love to help out or donate!
Upstate, good point! Accusations are JUST as affective as blood and bruises anymore. People will pay good money to stay out of court… Freedom of information and public record. If everyone thought you’d get 5 bucks by suing someone for alleged incidents, no one would waste their time. All these kids and loser-type parents know they get a paycheck, so it’s worth the hassle. I wouldn’t think that is something a lot of people would do, but that’s me being naive… Power in numbers and stay together! If the other kids see you take little johnny to a spot to take a piss it doesn’t matter if you were only gone for 2 seconds. They saw you walk away with Johnny boy and he said you did it! It sucks to think you can’t just be a charitable person. There always has to be a legal document releasing you of any liability. I told my grandfather about the guy and he agrees with both sides. He also says things weren’t like that when he was a boy. He’s a Vet that really sees how ****ty the world has become and can’t wait to leave it…sad.
Palmetto Bug you are rediculous, you should be proud to hear that Dustin is taking the time to take his son fishing. Too many parents these days dont spend the quality time with their children. The more time Dustin spends with his son the less chance there is of his son hitting the streets, and or doing drugs. If I was a property owner and I looked out my window and saw a man and his son on the dock it would bring nothing but joy to my face and as an angler myself I would more than likely go down and join them. REGARDLESS if it was my own private property, obviosly Dustin has stated that he left the dock cleaner than he found it and was doing no harm. There are to many uptight A$$ holes like that guy and quite frankly you that continue to harrass a man and his son for doing absolutly nothing wrong. I live in a gated community now and when I was younger I used to fish in the golf course ponds and most of the golfers never minded me being there as long as I wasnt loud or in their way, but there was always some d-bag that would try to run me off. I would kindly say to the gentleman, “Sir would you rather me be smoking pot, or vandalizing about the neighborhood, or would you like me to be sitting on the bank of this pond minding my own business trying to catch a bass.” I always left them speachless!! What im saying is that there is no harm in Dustin fishing with his son, you and everybody else should see it as a man trying to make an impression on his sons life by spending quality time with him. Like me Dustin was not in the wrong. SO YOU KNOW WHAT MR. PALMETTO GET A LIFE AND LEAVE THE MAN ALONE!!!
Scout Boats
177 Winyah Bay
221 Winyah Bay
DIXIE, SOUTH CAROLINA
Palmetto Bug you are rediculous, you should be proud to hear that Dustin is taking the time to take his son fishing. Too many parents these days dont spend the quality time with their children. The more time Dustin spends with his son the less chance there is of his son hitting the streets, and or doing drugs. If I was a property owner and I looked out my window and saw a man and his son on the dock it would bring nothing but joy to my face and as an angler myself I would more than likely go down and join them. REGARDLESS if it was my own private property, obviosly Dustin has stated that he left the dock cleaner than he found it and was doing no harm. There are to many uptight A$$ holes like that guy and quite frankly you that continue to harrass a man and his son for doing absolutly nothing wrong. I live in a gated community now and when I was younger I used to fish in the golf course ponds and most of the golfers never minded me being there as long as I wasnt loud or in their way, but there was always some d-bag that would try to run me off. I would kindly say to the gentleman, “Sir would you rather me be smoking pot, or vandalizing about the neighborhood, or would you like me to be sitting on the bank of this pond minding my own business trying to catch a bass.” I always left them speachless!! What im saying is that there is no harm in Dustin fishing with his son, you and everybody else should see it as a man trying to make an impression on his sons life by spending quality time with him. Like me Dustin was not in the wrong. SO YOU KNOW WHAT MR. PALMETTO GET A LIFE AND LEAVE THE MAN ALONE!!!
Scout Boats
177 Winyah Bay
221 Winyah Bay
DIXIE, SOUTH CAROLINA
The people siding with Dustin are missing the point. It isn’t whether or not the guy is mean, or whether Dustin had permission from management (who has no authority to give it), or whether Dustin is taking the time to take his kid fishing. It is a simple personal property issue.
You may think it is harsh but the fact is, you are not supposed to be there since you are not a property owner or a family member of the property owner. I also agree with the idea that it is incorrect that you feel somehow you have been wronged so you want to spite the guy by fishing 2 feet off the dock. It’s his place. He can tell you nicely “hey, sorry but you aren’t supposed to be here” or “hey, get the f out of here.” Not saying I endorse, I am just saying that is his right.
It is sad but in today’s world, you have to be defensive on everything. It ins’t harsh, its the law. Its private property.
yadda yadda yadda…we could all go about doing things in a more appealing manor…but whats the fun in that!!! (just trying to lighten the mood in here a little)
For all of you that volunteer and take children fishing, hunting etc. PLEASE do not stop doing so because you are concerned with the possibility of law suits. Print off a Hold Harmless Agreement and have the child and responsible gaurdian sign it. Also, ALWAYS have a buddy…your buddy with you. Not only for “accusation” sake but also to provide a better level of care for the child. But PLEASE do not stop introducing less fortunate children (and their families) in to the outdoors.
I am in no way vested with this company nor am I a lawyer but www.rocketlawyer.com has FREE Hold Harmless agreements in the month of January. Hold Harmless agreements are standard practice for exactly the situation ya’ll are discussing. They are also good for any guest you may have coming to hunt/fish/camp/hike etc. on your property. It only takes a second to plug in the info and print off as many as you want. In fact, in the past I have gained access to private property (over others) due to me bringing a hold harmless agreement with me when asking permission.
“Immature is a word boring people use to describe fun people.”
Will Ferrell
The thread has pretty much run it’s course. The original post wondered if he should be “bitter” at the gun that supposedly ran him and his kid off.
I do not think you should feel bitter. Disappointed, mad maybe, but that’s about it. Whether you did or didn’t have everyone’s permission, you and your child were there as guests. No matter how many times prior or whatever the former circumstances. Guest privileges can and often are subject to change and revoking for little or no reasons. Some of the posters (Palmetto Bug, et. al) have raised some very salient points.
My neighbor and I share a dock. Each have a floating dock on a tidal creek. The docks have a long walkway (over 500’) It is just about the nicest place in the lowcountry. Just beautiful
You can’t imagine the number of people that trespass on my dock. My neighbor had his kicker motor stolen a month ago. Runners, just extending their run, local walkers, people in the neighborhood. Some of the neighbors have allowed their little kids out there without supervision. There’s a hell of a current when the tide is falling!!
When I go to see what they are doing, they ask…Is this your dock? It sure is nice out here! etc etc.
What they don’t seem to consider is they are essentially trespassing in my back. I live in one of the nicest and most expensive neighborhoods in the area. So the point is, it doesn’t take unwashed masses to take advantage of private property rights. And, of course, I’m a real bad guy if I run off the neighborhood kids. I’ve had to put up ugly no trespassing signs on my own property just as a pre-emptive liability act.
Anyway, my contribution is this. Don’t make private property owners the bad guys for asserting rights and responsibility over their own property. Even if you are “just fishing with a little kid.”
Agreed! Moving on now… If it looks like a dick and talks like a dick chances are it’s a dick! It’s not now, nor ever was up to ONE of the 40 condo owners to invite or remove me from the property. The dock is not his PERSONAL dock. It is for the members of the community, relatives, guests and whomever the management deems worthy and/or responsible to visit the COMMUNITY dock. I was not in his backyard. I was not on his boat. He had nothing out there for me to steal. He pays dues yearly for maintenance of the property. I pay HOA dues in my neighborhood for a playgrounds and lawn care. I guess if I see a kid on the swings that doesn’t live here I’ll be forced to notify law enforcement. After all, I dont want to get sued if he/she breaks their arm. That means our dues would go up due to insurance claims. No fun for anyone. If my son wants to have a friend over to play his parents will have to sign a release of liability form. Let’s take all the fun out of life and enjoyment of our fellow neighbors and stock up on pens and legal forms. I’m done now…
dude, the property owners hire the management company to manage it. Unless it is all rentals, the owners hire the management company so that company reports to the HOA board or the condo owners association board or the powers that be comprised of owners. The management company has no authority at all to tell you can or cannot do something.
The dock is probably jointly owned by all units and each owner pays a pro-rata share into a pool for the docks maintenance, insurance, etc. So, yes, it is their dock. But even if it wasn’t, it isn’t your dock. Not even in the slightest bit. You have no ownership or legitimate reason to be there. You have no ground to stand on in the argument. The guy that told you to leave does. Quit being pissed off over something that you have no reason to be. It’s not your property. You are just mad that you lost a free place to fish with you kid that you never should have been at in the first place. As the other poster said, you feel you are entitled to it and you aren’t so you got mad and came here looking to vent. It isn’t yours and for some reason you have a hard time accepting that. You come onto a public forum looking for people to reinforce your belief that somehow you had been wronged and that just isnt the case. You can be mad but the fact remains, its private property and you have no legal right to be there and the people that do wanted you gone so they made it happen, which was their right.
I NEVR felt a “sense” of entitlement! I WAS pretty much done with this and AM over it, but comments like yours just spark fire. Here’s a scenario: If you were doing utility work on some property that spread over 40 acres and were a hunter, you’d see the occasional sign of deer, hogs, raccoons, etc. Now a guy walks over to you and starts asking you asking how you are, blah blah blah. You eventually start talking about hunting and you find out that the man talking to you owns the property along with a couple other guys. Now, you can lie to me, but you can’t lie to yourself, so TRY to be honest here… He sees how much you’d love to come hunt his property and suggests that anytime you want to, come on out and hunt! Just respect the laws… Would you say no based on your principles that you post so adamantly? I wouldn’t! I was INVITED! Now, another guy walks up while your hunting and you give him a shout or rustle some branches to let him know where you are. He call you out of your stand, blind, what have you and asks you what your doing there and that he is the other owner. What would you say? I can GUARANTEE you wouldn’t say, “Uhh, well, I’m trespassing.” No, you’d tell him the same thing I told the guy on the dock. I WAS INVITED ON. How, in God’s name, was I trespassing?!.. I was GIVEN PERMISSION. And, yes, it was revoked. And, yes, I WAS, bitter. And, honestly, if this were the “family feud” game show, the survey says “BING!” while your answer is on the board, my answer is more popular. Have your opinion. I did nothing wrong! I thought I was allowed and iI had no ill intent. That guy WAS a DICK for the way he handled it. NOT the point he was making.
quote:Originally posted by Bullboxer
dude, the property owners hire the management company to manage it. Unless it is all rentals, the owners hire the management company so that company reports to the HOA board or the condo owners associa
your example is different above because a property owner gave you permission to hunt. You said a member of the management company gave you permission to fish. Its apples to oranges.
Well, brother, unless they paid cash for their condos, and have deeds to the property, it AIN’T theirs. The bank owns it and the management company is in charge of the facilities… thank you for clearing that up.
our neighborhood dock and ramp is under lock and key and posted no trespassing…and I like it that way…it has nothing to do with keeping a father and son from fishing…
(just trying to lighten the mood in here a little)