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Alcohol and Drug Services of Gallatin County_____
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Responsible Alcohol Sales & Service Training
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Imagine yourself as a tavern owner and consider the following possible scenarios
- After having consumed several drinks at another bar, a patron walks into your
establishment and
is served one drink. While driving home, the intoxicated person
enters the
opposing lane and collides head-on with another vehicle. The driver and
passengers of the other vehicle sustain serious injuries and sue your
establishment
for contributing to the intoxication of the patron that
caused the accident.
- A patron under the legal drinking age enters your establishment and is served a few
drinks. After
leaving, he is involved in an accident and injures a third party. The
injured party sues, alleging the illegal sale of alcohol to a minor.
- A patron is served alcohol at your establishment and while walking home, is struck
and killed
by an automobile. The estate of the deceased patron sues, alleging the
negligent service of alcohol directly contributed to the accident.
- Two of your patrons are involved in a fight. One patron sustains injuries and sues
your
establishment, alleging the negligent service of alcohol caused the fight.
In Montana the owner may be held liable in any of the above scenarios.
With Montana’s Dram Shop Law, bar owners, managers and alcohol servers can be
held financially liable if a customer becomes obviously intoxicated on their premises
and subsequently injures someone or causes property damage.
Liquor liability
Liquor liability is a major part of the business of selling alcohol. Most businesses that
sell alcohol have a stand-alone Liquor Liability Policy and some have it as a part of
there Business Owners Policy. It can range from a few hundred dollar endorsement
to a ten thousand plus dollars a year policy, depending upon liquor receipts.
Businesses that are proactive in taking steps to prevent underage selling and over-intoxication, such as sending all employees to RASS trainings, could possibly see a
reduction in the insurance rates depending upon there current carrier of 5-10%
(talk with your current agent to for more information).
Responsible Alcohol Service and Sales trainings reduce your liability, and can have the
added benefit of reducing business costs. Join a growing number of Montana businesses
that send their employees to this training to decrease liability and increase compliance
with the law.
*Insurance information provided is only an example and should not be construed
as binding. Check with your current agent for questions about your current
policy as the forms/coverage can change from insured to insured. Insurance
information provided by Ryan Kuntz of Western States Insurance Agency in
Bozeman. Please contact your current agent or Ryan with questions about liability
exposure. |
Alcohol and Drug Services of Gallatin County
(406) 586-5943
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Web-work© 2004-09. Webmaster: adsgc_org@hotmail.com
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