Posted on: Tuesday, May 27, 2003

EDITORIAL
Liability law takes shackles off nature

Outdoor enthusiasts, take heart. Gov. Linda Lingle has signed into law a measure that limits the state's liability when people are injured on parklands and hiking trails.

With any luck, we can look forward to the reopening of trails that have been off-limits. And that's the way it ought to be. Rather than closing trails to the public for fear of personal injury lawsuits, the state should just do a better job of alerting visitors and residents to the dangers, unless of course a clear and imminent threat requires a shutdown.

Let's not forget, however, that the law doesn't fully exempt the government from responsibility because it doesn't grant legal immunity. Nor should it. People need the right to sue to protect themselves from negligence.

At the end of the day, though, any law that eases the state's worries about keeping the wilderness open to the public is a good thing. Hawai'i's spectacular nature is its stock in trade. Visitors just need to know the risks.