So... Is this covered by your photog insurance?

This is a horrible story. But you know what lawsuit is coming next.

Edit: It's never a bad idea to make sure you have a 10 minute discussion with your insurance agent regarding what is and what is not covered - both as to your gear and general liability. I have no idea what happened here in this horrible story. But if these pictures were the photog's idea, trouble is brewing. Suppose you direct a subject to stand somewhere and they trip and break an ankle? Covered? Personally, I do not do event / wedding photography. But if I did, I would immediately be contacting my agent if I would be covered for something like this. I am a big fan of insurance for the "what if's".

http://worldnews.nbcne​ws.com …ada?chromedomai​n=testblog

Wow....I mean, stuff like these you would only read about in novels...... The tragic fate and the irony of it all. Yeah, just makes sure you have a disclaimer in your contract and I think you should be all set....:p

Most camera insurance covers the personal property. If you, as photographer, tell someone to do something which ultimately causes them harm, that falls under 'Liability', not 'property'.

So do you have Liability coverage, as either a homeowner policy, or as a business policy?

That's got the be the most distressing thing to witness... poor family/friends.
Little hard to even imagine how it happened, it sounds like the dress was huge!

pmack wrote in post #14908232
That's got the be the most distressing thing to witness... poor family/friends.
Little hard to even imagine how it happened, it sounds like the dress was huge!

Several of my aunts make wedding dresses on the side, and I've been shocked at seeing how much fabric can go into even a fairly small looking full length gown. Get a good layered skirt to it, then soak that in water? Easily 100+lbs. Add in a current pulling on that large parachute of a wedding dress? That's a lot of force involved. Factor in how laughably ineffective kicking with your legs wrapped in a heavy dress would be, and it is easy to see how someone wearing such a thing could get pulled down if they slipped in deeper than expected.


I've known a few people to have drowned in a river while hiking because they decided to cross the narrow part of the river that was only around 4-6 inches deep, rather than wade across the wider deeper areas above or below where it would have been far safer. Why are those deep wide areas safer? Because the water is moving at a fraction of the speed, and you can stand comfortably (besides the cold water hitting your armpits) without the water pushing on you. In the narrows the water hits your feet like a sledge hammer, eventually you lose your footing and slip, now you're down, likely on your face, and being washed out toward the bay. If the person didn't free themselves of their pack (because they often don't think to undo their hip belts before crossing) by the time they reach the calm stretch just before the tidal area, then they won't make it back to shore before the waves start dragging them out into the bay.


Water is dangerous. It is heavy, and can carry a massive amount of energy behind it. We need it to live, but it can easily kill us if we do something stupid around it.

It probably seemed like a good idea at the time, but I don't think most people who die in accidents generally walk into them with the mindset that they're doing something dangerous in the first place. That's how the accident happens.

Reminds me of the photographer in my area that was using a "live" tiger in his senior pictures. Much to everyones surprise, the tiger got tired of this and mauled a student to death. I figure these would be the same sort of people that would drop their kid's off at Michael Jacksons house for a sleep over.

friz wrote in post #14908467
Reminds me of the photographer in my area that was using a "live" tiger in his senior pictures. Much to everyones surprise, the tiger got tired of this and mauled a student to death.

seems like I'm hearing more and more of the "Fatal Fotog" stories
Hope it doesn't happen to me

This is discussed in the Weddings section.