Accidents happen all the time. They occur on the road, at retail stores, at businesses, at amusement parks, in office buildings, and even at private residences. When people are hurt on commercial property, they don’t usually hesitate to file a personal injury claim against the business owner’s insurance. But, sometimes the attitude is very different when an injury occurred at a friend’s house, a client’s home, or on a relative’s property.
It’s not uncommon for someone to get injured at someone else’s home, but they decide not to pursue an injury claim because they are afraid to sue their “friend” or “family member.” When this happens, the person may have thousands in medical bills, they may have lost days, weeks, or months off work, and their quality of life may have been significantly reduced – but alas, they suffer in silence and don’t seek the compensation they need and deserve. Why? Because they don’t want to sue a private party.
A Better Solution: Homeowners Insurance
What many injured parties fail to realize is that most homeowners in New York State have homeowners insurance.While homeowners insurance is not legally required like car insurance, the vast majority of lenders require borrowers to purchase homeowners insurance as long as they have a mortgage, and since most homeowners do not own their home free and clear, it’s highly likely that if you’re injured at someone’s private residence, that they have homeowners insurance.
So, what does basic homeowners insurance cover? Well, Nationwide, for example, offers a range of home insurance policies to cover homeowners if their house is burglarized, if water backs up, and for personal injury and other losses. Basic homeowners insurance typically covers the following:
- Dwelling: the home’s structure
- Contents: personal property like furniture and clothing
- Personal liability:someone else is injured in the home
- Medical payments to other people: helps pay for medical or funeral costs if someone else is injured on the property
- Ordinance or law insurance: can help rebuild a home to current building codes
- Other structures: covers sheds, fences, barns, etc. that are detached
- Loss of use: helps cover living expenses if the homeowner can’t live in their home because of a covered loss
- Credit card coverage: will pay for certain unauthorized transactions on the homeowner’s credit cards
We hope this article has helped you better understand homeowners insurance. If you were injured on someone else’s property, for example, if their dog bit or attacked you, or if you were injured in their swimming pool, or if you slipped and fell, or if you were hurt some other way, it is likely that you could file a personal injury claim against their homeowners insurance, which is exactly what it’s there for.
Contact DeLorenzo, Grasso & Dalmata, LLP to file a personal injury claim in Schenectady or Saratoga Springs!