How Does Homeowners Insurance Affect My Slip And Fall Claim?

If you have suffered serious injuries due to a slip and fall on someone’s property, you may have questions about what types of insurance is available to help you pay for medical bills and to compensate you for your injuries. Slip and fall, or trip and fall cases, can be complex and can involve several legal and factual issues that must be handled correctly by a knowledgeable expert in this area of the law. A law firm that focuses their law practice on representing people injured due to dangerous conditions on property can fight for the full and fair compensation that you deserve. Attorney Robert Bates has been representing injured clients in slip and fall cases all over Tennessee for over a decade.

What Is Homeowners Insurance?

Homeowners insurance is the insurance policy that covers owners of personal property such as someone’s home. This is distinguished from a commercial property insurance policy that would cover a retail store like a grocery or a production facility. Let’s say you were walking along on a sidewalk that was not properly cleared of ice and snow, and you slipped and fell. Another example would be you walking along on a neighborhood sidewalk which is unlevel, and you trip and fall, seriously injuring yourself. If this happens, and you make a claim against the homeowner, then his or her homeowners insurance policy will kick in. Most people who own a home have some type of insurance policy. This will protect the property owner from any lawsuits that might be filed by people who are injured caused by a dangerous defect on the property.

If you are injured on someone’s property, the first thing to do is to report it to the property owner so they can report it to their insurance company. However, before the property insurance company gets involved, you should contact an experienced personal injury attorney to help you with the case and to deal with the insurance so you don’t have to. One note of caution is that you should never agree to give a recorded interview with the insurance adjuster without having your attorney at your side. Actually, most of the time an experienced attorney will not even agree to give a recorded statement.

Homeowners Insurance and Medical Payments

Most homeowners’ insurance policies will have a portion of the coverage for the payment of medical bills for anyone who is injured on the property, no matter whose fault it is. So, even if the person was careless and injured themselves, there is usually $5,000 or $10,000 to help pay for medical bills. But if the accident was caused by the negligence of the property owner, not only will there be some medical coverage for the injured plaintiff, but there will be a liability portion of the policy that will kick in.

Homeowners Liability Insurance Coverage

Homeowners’ liability insurance coverage is the part of the property insurance policy that protects the homeowner from lawsuits. So, if someone is hurt on their property, and claims that it was caused by the homeowner’s negligence, then the insurance company will hire a lawyer for the homeowner and defend against the lawsuit. Also, there will be a set amount of money available to pay to injured plaintiffs if the case is settled or if a jury awards damages against the owner.

Robert BatesRobert is a Kingsport trial lawyer who handles car, truck and motorcycle wreck cases across the Tri-Cities. Every client gets his cell number.