How to Avoid Home Injury

Let's face it: You don't want anyone to get injured in your home. Although homeowners insurance includes coverage for liability lawsuits and medical payments in case someone gets hurt on your property, you hope never to have to use it.

Homeowners have good reason to avoid liability claims. Bodily injury and property damage claims come with an average price tag of $18,804 per claim, according to the Insurance Information Institute (III). And after filing a claim, you may find out the hard way when shopping for homeowners insurance quotes that you're paying a lot more for coverage.

Here are some common liability claims and how you can avoid them:

Diagnosis – broken bone           

Trampolines and playground equipment present fun for children – your own and guests, including trespassing guests. They also present danger of broken bones or head and neck injuries, which can mean problems for you.

Those types of equipment – and swimming pools, too – are known legally as attractive nuisances. That means they draw the attention of children and can cause injuries or death, and you can be held liable for it. Many insurers will exclude such features as these altogether, and could cancel your policy if you aren't honest about them.

What can you do? First off, be honest with your provider. Features such as pools and trampolines pose the greatest threat when unsupervised. Don't allow your children or their guests to play without an adult looking on. Set up self-locking fences around these features to keep others out. A four-sided fence to separate the pool area from a house or yard can reduce a child's risk of drowning by 83%, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

Diagnosis – dog bite

Dog bite claims made up one third of all homeowners liability claim dollars paid in 2013 – more than $438 million, according to the III. It's easy to consider your dog part of the family and forget the risk it poses. Nonetheless, even the most docile dogs can have bad days. It takes one guest to encounter your dog in an unusual situation and set you back an average of $27,862 per claim, according to the III.

What steps can you take to reduce your risk? Again, be honest with your provider. Avoid traditionally aggressive dog breeds; have a safe, separate place for dogs for when visitors come over, and teach children not to surprise your pooch when it is eating, sleeping, or caring for puppies.

Diagnosis – slip and fall

Slip and fall claims are probably what you picture when you think of liability claims. Falls are the leading cause of hospital-treated injuries, according to the National Safety Council. To avoid falls in your home, examine your house from a guest's perspective. Fix broken stairs and handrails, secure rugs, and clear pathways of debris and overhanging tree limbs.

These are the three most common causes of liability suits, but remember other features of your home that could pose a threat to guests. Lock all firearms in a secure safe, for example. Another common liability risk is liquor liability; always ensure that guests drink responsibly.

You can't make your home completely safe for everyone; that's why homeowners insurance has liability and medical payments coverages. Take these simple steps for reducing your risk and you might never have to use them.

Katherine Wood writes for HomeownersInsurance.com, an online insurance resource for homeowners and drivers across the country. Offering comparative automobile and homeowners insurance quotes, consumers rely on HomeownersInsurance.com for the most competitive rates from the top-rated insurance carriers in the country. The HomeownersInsurance.com blog, Square One, provides tips and advice on a range of financial topics to help homeowners and homebuyers make educated decisions about their insurance purchases.