If a robot was flipped out of the arena, and it broke the outer structure, escaped and hurt an audience member, common sence says that it was the arena at fault, and so the event organisor gets sued. Not the roboteer who flipped the robot out, and certainly not the roboteers whos robot did the damage.

As it should be. But your insurance might read the statement that you have written in the rules and interpret it, as I have done, to mean that you are (hence they can) pass the buck on the robot responisble for the accident.

I agree fully with what Debbie said the the last post. John this is not calling into question your ethics, but just the way the 3 things you have said above are phrased. The statment in the rules is worded badly if that is what it is supposed to mean.

Personally I would like to see that paragraph of the rules reworded before the start of the competition.