Regarding clammers’ diminishing access to the shore because of new property owners, I’m curious why you didn’t discuss property owners’ liability. For example, if a clammer falls down the bank and breaks his neck, either when invited or while trespassing, our law allows him to sue the property owner for damages … which could be huge.
Property owners who let people on, for whatever reason, have significant liability exposure. Old-school, community-minded people didn’t seem to worry about this liability, probably because old-school people held a value system of individual responsibility and didn’t blame others for their own mistakes. These days, however, I think property owners are concerned about ambulance-chasing lawyers and maybe the adage that says, “No good deed goes unpunished.”
I wonder if clammers could issue a simple hold-harmless or indemnity letter to property owners to help fix this.
Alex Piper, Harpswell Neck
