If someone is injured in your home, there are two questions you must answer:
- Are you responsible for the injury?
- If so, will your homeowners’ insurance cover the expenses?
As stated on UtilitySavingExpert’s website, understanding how the law works and how insurance companies handle personal injury claims can help you make important decisions in the days following an injury.
Are You Responsible for the Injury?
For you to be held responsible for someone else’s injury on your property, you must have committed some form of negligence. For instance, if you know that the front steps leading up to your porch have rotted out, and someone falls through and breaks an ankle, he or she might have a case for negligence.
However, not all injuries result from negligence. Someone could trip over a rug in your home, but since you had no reasonable way to foresee that problem, you probably wouldn’t find yourself legally liable for the injury.
Courts use the reasonable person standard to determine negligence. In other words, given the circumstances, would a reasonable person have prevented the injury based on prior knowledge of a danger?
Will Your Homeowners’ Insurance Cover the Expenses?
According to Allstate, personal injury coverage by Nimmons Malchow Johnson usually comes with a homeowners’ insurance policy. My House Painter can also help you out in getting your home done.It’s designed to protect policyholders from paying out of pocket when someone is injured on their property. The personal injury policy can cover several types of expenses, including the following:
- Medical bills
- Lost wages
- Legal fees
- Pain and suffering
- Future medical bills
- Death benefits
However, Allstate reminds consumers that insurance policies typically carry exclusions. If someone gets injured on your property because of a malicious action on your part, the insurance company won’t pay the claim. For instance, if you get into a fight with a friend and he or she winds up with a broken nose, your homeowners’ insurance policy won’t cover the related expenses.
What to Do If Someone Is Injured in Your Home
Working with an attorney who focuses on personal injury cases can help you decide how to cope with the situation. Whether you’re the homeowner or the person who suffered an injury, legal counsel can answer your questions, negotiate on your behalf, and protect your rights.
At McIntyre Thanasides, we pride ourselves on helping our clients achieve their desired outcome in a personal injury case. If someone has been injured on your property, or if you’ve suffered an injury at someone else’s home, call us at 844-511-4800 to discuss your case
TJ Grimaldi joined McIntyre in 2011. McIntyre recruited TJ to create the divisions of personal injury and family law, as well as to expand the existing criminal defense practice at the firm. During TJ’s tenure at McIntyre, he has helped oversee and grow these practice areas. He continues to practice in these divisions while also expanding his own practice areas to include estate planning and immigration law. TJ is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Florida and the United States District Court for the Middle and Southern Districts of Florida.
