Participant agreement, assumption of risk and release of liability
This is the full text of the agreement every attendee signs before an investigation. It is published here so you can read it properly, in your own time, before you book. A printable copy comes with your ticket.
READ THIS DOCUMENT CAREFULLY. IT AFFECTS YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS.
This is a binding legal agreement between you and After Watch Supernatural, a sole proprietorship owned and operated by Ryan Willis ("After Watch", "we", "us"). By signing, you give up substantial legal rights, including the right to sue us for certain injuries. Do not sign it if you do not understand it or do not agree to it. You may ask for a copy before you sign.
Every attendee aged 18 or over must sign this document personally. One adult may not sign on behalf of another adult.
For a participant under 18, a parent or legal guardian must sign Section 11 and must remain with that participant for the entire event.
What the activity is
After Watch Supernatural runs guided haunted history tours and paranormal investigations at historic properties, including the Old Morven School (City Hall), 178 2nd Street, Morven, Georgia 31638.
A typical event involves:
- walking through an old building, including areas that are unlit or dimly lit, for periods of up to two hours or longer;
- climbing and descending stairs, and moving through narrow halls, doorways and thresholds;
- being present in darkness, sometimes total darkness, for extended periods;
- the use of electronic equipment that may emit sudden sounds, lights, vibration or flashing indicators;
- deliberate attempts to provoke a startle or fear response as part of the experience.
We do not control the building's structural condition and we are not its owner.
Assumption of risk
You are voluntarily choosing to take part in an activity that carries real risk of injury, illness, permanent disability and death. You accept those risks knowingly and freely, whether they arise from the activity itself, from the condition of the premises, from the conduct of other participants, or from the ordinary negligence of After Watch, its owner, employees, volunteers, team members, agents or contractors.
Risks include, and are not limited to:
Movement and premises
- Slips, trips and falls, including on stairs, uneven or damaged flooring, thresholds, loose boards, debris, cabling or equipment
- Collision with walls, doorframes, fixtures, furniture or other participants, particularly in darkness
- Falling objects, unstable fixtures, and deteriorated ceilings, floors or rails
- Sharp or protruding objects including nails, screws, glass and metal
- Confined or restricted spaces, and limited or obstructed means of exit
Building environment
- Poor air quality, dust, mould, mildew and animal droppings
- Substances associated with buildings constructed before 1978, which may include lead-based paint and asbestos-containing materials
- Extremes of temperature, humidity and inadequate ventilation
- Insects, rodents, bats, snakes and other wildlife
- Electrical hazards and dated wiring
Physiological and psychological
- Sudden or loud noises, flashing or strobing light from equipment, and other stimuli that may trigger a seizure in persons with photosensitive epilepsy
- Startle response, fright, panic, anxiety, distress and emotional or psychological reaction, which may be severe and may persist after the event
- Exertion, dehydration, and aggravation of any existing medical condition, including cardiac and respiratory conditions and conditions affected by stress, exertion or startle
- Disorientation, loss of balance and impaired depth perception in low light
Location and response
- The venue is in a rural area. Emergency medical and law enforcement response times may be significantly longer than in a city. Mobile telephone coverage may be poor, intermittent or absent.
- Risks in car parks, walkways, grounds and other exterior areas, in darkness and in all weather conditions
- The conduct of other participants, including conduct that is careless, negligent, reckless or intentional
You accept that this list is not exhaustive and that risks exist which cannot be anticipated.
Your representations
You represent and warrant that:
- You are at least eighteen (18) years of age, or you are a parent or legal guardian signing under Section 11 in respect of a participant under 18.
- You are physically and mentally fit to take part, and you know of no medical condition, injury, impairment, pregnancy or course of treatment that would make participation unsafe for you or for others.
- You are not under the influence of alcohol or of any drug, whether lawful or unlawful, that impairs judgement, balance, coordination or perception, and you will not consume any such substance during the event.
- You will follow all instructions given by After Watch team members, and all posted rules and signage at the venue.
- You will not enter any area you are told is off limits, and you will not remove, damage, disturb or take anything from the property.
- You have read and understood this document, and you are signing it freely.
You accept that After Watch may refuse entry to, or remove, any person who in our sole judgement is impaired, unfit, unsafe, disruptive, or in breach of these terms, without refund.
Release of liability
To the fullest extent permitted by Georgia law, and in consideration of being permitted to take part, you hereby RELEASE, WAIVE, DISCHARGE and COVENANT NOT TO SUE After Watch Supernatural, Ryan Willis individually, and their respective team members, employees, volunteers, agents, contractors, insurers, heirs, executors and assigns (together, the "Released Parties"), from any and all claims, demands, actions, causes of action, liabilities, damages, costs and expenses of any kind, including legal fees, arising out of or related in any way to your participation, including any such claim caused in whole or in part by the ORDINARY NEGLIGENCE of any of the Released Parties.
This release covers claims for personal injury, illness, permanent disability, death, emotional or psychological harm, and loss of or damage to property.
This release binds you, your spouse, your children, your heirs, your personal representatives and anyone else who could bring a claim through you or on your behalf.
This release does NOT apply to gross negligence, or to wilful, wanton or reckless misconduct, or to any liability that cannot lawfully be released under Georgia law.
Property owner
The Old Morven School is not owned by After Watch Supernatural. To the fullest extent permitted by law, this agreement extends to the owner of the premises, the City of Morven, and their officers, officials, employees and agents, who are intended third-party beneficiaries of this agreement and may enforce it directly.
Indemnification
You agree to indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Released Parties from any claim, loss, liability, damage, cost or expense, including legal fees, brought by you or by any third party, arising out of your participation, your breach of this agreement, or your negligent, reckless or intentional acts or omissions.
Medical treatment
You authorise After Watch to arrange emergency medical treatment for you if you are injured or become unwell and are unable to consent at the time. You are responsible for the cost of any medical care, transport or treatment. You accept that we are not obliged to provide, and may not be able to provide, medical assistance, and that trained medical personnel will not be present.
Photography, recording and media
Events are recorded. Investigations involve continuous audio and video capture, and this is central to the activity.
You grant After Watch Supernatural an irrevocable, perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free licence to record, reproduce, edit, publish, broadcast and otherwise use your image, likeness, voice and statements captured during the event, in any medium now known or later devised, including social media, for documentary, archival, educational and promotional purposes, without further notice, approval, credit or compensation.
You waive any right to inspect or approve the finished material.
If you do not agree to this, tell a team member before the event begins. We will do our best to accommodate you, and we may be unable to, in which case you may decline to participate.
You may record for your own personal, non-commercial use. Commercial use, or publication of footage in any monetised context, requires our written consent.
No guarantee of results
After Watch Supernatural does not guarantee, promise, represent or warrant that any paranormal, supernatural, anomalous or unexplained phenomenon will occur, appear, be detected, be recorded or be experienced during your event.
What you are purchasing is a guided experience: access to the property for the booked period, a guided historical tour, the use of investigation equipment, and the attendance and guidance of our team. That is the entirety of what is being sold.
The absence of any paranormal activity, the absence of any recorded evidence, and any dissatisfaction with what did or did not occur are expressly not grounds for a refund, a chargeback, or any claim, and you agree not to assert them as such.
Equipment readings and any phenomena presented during an event are offered for entertainment and are not represented as scientific proof of anything.
Event changes and cancellation
Refunds, cancellations, transfers and weather are governed by our Refund and Cancellation Policy, published at afterwatchsupernatural.com/refunds, which is incorporated into this agreement by reference.
Participants under eighteen
After Watch Supernatural permits participants under 18 only on the terms in this section.
11.1 Minimum age. No participant under thirteen (13) may attend, in any circumstances. The building is dark, uneven and unmodernised, and events run late at night.
11.2 A parent or legal guardian must sign and must attend. The adult signing below must be the participant's parent or legal guardian, must be 18 or over, must sign this document in their own name, and must remain physically present with that participant for the entire event. Supervision may not be delegated to another adult, including another adult in the same group.
11.3 The adult's own release. By signing, the parent or legal guardian makes every representation, assumption of risk and release in Sections 2 through 6 above in their own right, on the same terms as any adult participant.
11.4 Acknowledgment of the law. The parent or legal guardian acknowledges that they have been told, and understand, that under Georgia law a parent generally cannot release a minor child's own claim for the child's injuries before those injuries occur. They are signing with that knowledge and are not relying on any representation to the contrary.
11.5 Parental indemnity. In consideration of the minor being permitted to take part, the parent or legal guardian agrees to INDEMNIFY, DEFEND and HOLD HARMLESS the Released Parties from and against any claim, demand, action, liability, damage, judgment, settlement, cost or expense, including reasonable legal fees, brought by, on behalf of, or through the minor participant, arising out of the minor's participation, to the fullest extent permitted by Georgia law. This obligation is separate from, and survives, every other provision of this agreement.
11.6 Responsibility for conduct. The parent or legal guardian is responsible for the minor's conduct, for the minor following all instructions and rules, and for any loss or damage the minor causes. After Watch may remove a minor, and the accompanying adult, at any time and without refund.
11.7 Media. The consent in Section 8 is given by the parent or legal guardian on the minor's behalf. An adult who does not wish their child recorded must say so before the event begins, and should understand that investigations involve continuous recording and that we may be unable to accommodate the request.
General
Governing law. This agreement is governed by the laws of the State of Georgia, without regard to its conflict of laws provisions.
Jurisdiction and venue. Any action arising out of or relating to this agreement or to your participation shall be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Brooks County, Georgia, and you consent to personal jurisdiction and venue there.
Severability. If any provision of this agreement is held invalid or unenforceable, that provision shall be modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it enforceable, or if it cannot be, severed. All remaining provisions remain in full force and effect, and it is expressly intended that the release in section 4 be given the broadest application permitted by Georgia law.
Entire agreement. This document, together with the Refund and Cancellation Policy, is the entire agreement between you and After Watch Supernatural on this subject, and supersedes any prior or contemporaneous statement, representation or understanding, whether spoken or written.
No waiver. Our failure to enforce any provision is not a waiver of it.
Signing
Every attendee signs this agreement personally, as set out above, in one of two ways: online, through the signing link emailed with your booking, or in person on arrival, before the safety briefing. If you sign online, your typed full name together with the ticked agreement box is your signature. A printable copy is emailed with your ticket three days before your event so your whole group can read it first.
Questions about any of this go to [email protected], and we would much rather answer them before you book than at the door.