Assumption of Risk is a legal defense used when someone gets injured while voluntarily participating in an activity that they knew was dangerous. This concept means that if you choose to engage in something risky - like skydiving, rock climbing, or playing contact sports - you cannot later sue for injuries that result from the well-known dangers of that activity. Essentially, the law says that by choosing to participate, you "assumed the risk" of getting hurt and gave up your right to hold others responsible for injuries caused by those obvious dangers.
However, assumption of risk doesn't protect everyone from all liability in every dangerous situation. The key is that the injured person must have actually known about the specific risk and voluntarily chosen to face it, and the injury must have resulted from the inherent dangers of the activity rather than someone's negligence. For example, if you're injured while skiing because you hit a tree (a known risk of skiing), you probably assumed that risk, but if you're injured because the ski resort failed to mark a dangerous cliff or maintain their equipment properly, assumption of risk might not apply. The doctrine also doesn't excuse reckless or intentional harmful conduct - so even if you agreed to box with someone, they can't deliberately try to seriously injure you beyond what's normal for the sport. Courts will carefully examine whether the person truly understood and accepted the specific risk that caused their injury, whether they had a real choice in the matter, and whether the defendant's actions went beyond what would be considered normal risks of the activity. Some states have limited this defense in certain situations, particularly when there's a significant imbalance of power between the parties or when the activity involves essential services that people can't easily avoid.
