When it comes to injuries, your homeowners insurance only covers your liability as a property owner, though. So if you or one of your family members were to be injured in your home, it’s not your homeowners insurance but your medical insurance that would be responsible for paying for those injuries.
Understanding Liability
Many people wonder if their homeowners insurance would pay for an injury that they got while at home. After all, guests and visitors aren’t the only people who can get hurt in your home. The same dangers that lie in wait for non-residents of your home to stumble upon are waiting for you and your family members as well. There is an important difference, though, between what insurance foots the bill when you get hurt at home and when a visitor gets hurt in your home.
As a homeowner, you are liable for many of the injuries a visitor can have in your home. In the event that an invited guest or unexpected visitor should be injured in your home through no fault of their own, your homeowners insurance would likely pay medical expenses and damages. It might even pay for lost wages if the injury resulted in the individual being out of work.
When Homeowners Insurance Doesn’t Pay
But what injuries of visitors would your homeowners insurance not pay for? Well, if someone was in your home acting in an irresponsible or negligent manner and you had no way to prevent them from having an accident, and their behavior causes the accident, then you would probably not be liable for that injury. However, if someone acting in a normal capacity is injured in your home—even from something that was not the result of any negligence on your part, you would likely be responsible.
Whether you do it to avoid insurance claims or to keep your family and friends safe, creating a home that is free of obvious threats to health and safety will save you both money and heartache. And while you can never create a totally risk-free zone, diligence and close observation can work together to help you remove the most obvious threats and cut down in the opportunity for injury that much more
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