Slips and falls are two of the most common accidents that happen at home. They also happen to be two of the most common things homeowners are concerned about when it comes to home insurance coverage. Without personal liability coverage, you won’t be protected from slip-and-fall accidents that can cost you thousands of dollars.
Fortunately, you don’t have to be worried about every slip and fall that occurs in your home. Remember, you can only be held liable for injuries caused by your own negligence. For example, if a slip was caused by unfinished construction on your property, you will be held responsible for the injuries. Learn all about slip and fall coverage below to understand why it’s very important to get personal liability coverage for a slip and fall claim.
3 Types of Slip and Fall Accidents You Can Be Liable For
1. Floor Slips and Falls
Slips and falls that occur due to slippery floors without slip-resistant backing, slippery rugs, frayed carpets, uneven floor panels, or broken tiles are considered injuries caused by your negligence. For that reason, you will be held liable for any injuries from slip and fall accidents that occur on the floor of your property.
2. Stair Slips and Falls
The stairs are yet another area that can cause slip-and-fall accidents. If someone slips or falls on your stairs because there are foreign materials on the stairs, there aren’t any handrails, unequal heights of each stair, or frayed carpets and rugs, you will be held responsible for their injuries.
3. Sidewalk Slips and Falls
Another thing you can be liable for is slips and falls that occur on your sidewalk. However, when it comes to sidewalk accidents, the person or entity liable for any injuries that occur on the sidewalk is the one who is responsible for the maintenance of the sidewalk. You can learn more about icy sidewalk injuries in our other article.
Coverage for Slip and Fall Accidents
Now that you’re familiar with the different types of slip and fall accidents you can be held liable for, let us now move forward to what types of coverage could help you on settling slip and fall claims.
1. Personal Health Insurance
If you happen to be the one who got injured from a slip and fall accident, your personal health insurance can pay off the costs of your medical expenses. However, if the person injured is somebody else, you will need to have personal liability coverage to get coverage for their medical expenses.
2. Personal Liability Coverage
Personal liability coverage is the most useful type of home insurance coverage when it comes to slips and falls. This is the kind of coverage that can help you pay your guests’ medical bills. On the downside, if the person injured is your relative, personal liability coverage won’t be able to provide you with financial support for slip and fall claims.
3. Medical Payments to Others Coverage
If you want to get coverage for minor injuries that resulted from slips or falls on your property, you should consider getting medical payment coverage. This type of coverage can help you settle the medical bills of your injured guests. Unfortunately, medical payments coverage usually has low limits of $1,000 to $5,000. This means it may not be able to provide you with enough financial support for major injuries that can cost thousands of dollars in medical bills.
What Happens When Someone Files A Claim?
Knowing which types of insurance coverage can help you with slip and fall claims is one thing when it comes to preparing for claims. Knowing what to expect when someone files a claim against you is another. If someone slips or falls on your property, you can expect them to file personal injury claims against you. Once the incident has been reported, the insurer will have an insurance adjuster to investigate and assess the claim.
Some things you can expect an insurance adjuster to investigate are the cause of the injury, your statement as to what happened, documentation that supports any lost profits, existing medical bills, and medical treatment documentation.
One thing you should remember if you ever find yourself being investigated by an insurance adjuster is not to give a recorded statement. Insurance adjusters will most likely try to convince you to give a statement. Avoid giving in to recording a statement if you don’t have a lawyer. If you’re not careful, what you say can be used against you.
Once the insurance adjuster is done assessing the injury and its cause, the adjuster will start negotiating and settling the claim with you. If all goes well, the insurer will cover the medical expenses needed for the injury.
Tips for Facing Slip and Fall Claims Against You
Facing an insurance claim against you can be a bit frustrating if you haven’t experienced it before. If you’re facing an insurance claim for slip and fall injuries, you should consider these useful tips:
Be Honest
Honesty is essential when it comes to insurance claim reports. If someone gets injured on your property, an insurance adjuster will investigate where the injury occurred. During the investigation, you should always be honest as to what you know happened about the injury. It’s important to avoid withholding information regarding what caused the injury, where it occurred, and if you could have prevented the injury from happening.
Seek Legal Help
If you have zero experience talking to an insurance adjuster, one of the best things you can do is consult a lawyer. Your lawyer can help you craft a statement for the insurance adjuster’s assessment and get fair coverage for the injuries that occurred on your property through legal action.
The Bottom line
Do homeowners insurance cover slips and falls? The quick answer is yes. If any of your guests gets injured from a slip or fall on your property, your home insurance will be able to cover your guests’ medical expenses if your home insurance policy includes personal liability coverage and medical payment coverage.
Remember, when it comes to slip and fall claims, you can only be held liable if the cause of the injury is something you could have prevented. Any injuries that weren’t a result of your negligence aren’t something you should provide financial coverage for.
