Will Homeowner’s Insurance Cover My Medical Bills If I Was Injured at a Friend’s House?

 Posted on September 12, 2019 in Premises Liability

Imagine this scenario: You are at a friend’s house enjoying a party. While walking upstairs, you experience a horrible slip and fall. You are taken to the hospital where you learn you have significant injuries that will require thousands of dollars’ worth of medical care, corrective surgery, and physical therapy. Even worse, you will be out of work for months, so you will lose money this way as well. You may be asking yourself, “Would my friend’s homeowner’s insurance cover any of these expenses?”

Does the Property Owner Have Insurance?

The first question to consider if you have been injured at a friend or neighbor’s house is if the property owner even has homeowner’s insurance. Fortunately, most homeowners do. Mortgage companies require homeowner’s insurance, so if a person has a mortgage and is still paying off their house, they should have homeowner’s insurance. However, there is still the chance that a person who owns their home free and clear and has no mortgage might not have homeowner’s insurance.

Report the Incident to the Insurer Immediately

If the owner of the property on which you were injured does have homeowner’s insurance, you should report the incident to the insurer as soon as possible. Waiting too long to report the claim can make you lose credibility in the eyes of the insurer. There is no register of homeowner’s insurance information, so the only way you will be able to know the name of the insurer is to ask the property owner.

If the Property Owner Refuses to Cooperate

Some people may be reluctant to give their insurer’s information to a person injured on their property. They may worry that it will result in a long legal ordeal or higher insurance premiums. If you were injured on another person’s property and that person refuses to tell you who the insurer is, one way to get this information is to sue the homeowner and formally petition him or her for that information.

The Issue of Negligence

Once you have this information, you can then find out from the insurance company what you need to prove in regard to the homeowner’s negligence. Technically, the homeowner is only responsible for your injuries if he or she was negligent in some way and that negligence led to your accident. For example, if the staircase was littered with toys or the treads were uneven, you are likely to have a case. If, however, you simply tripped over your own feet, you will probably have a more difficult time getting your expenses covered.

Even if you show negligence on the part of the homeowner, the insurance company may offer a settlement which fails to meet your needs. For reasons like these and many others, it is critical that you hire a qualified personal injury attorney to help you after any type of accident.

Contact an Illinois Premises Liability Attorney

For more than two decades, the lawyers at Mannarino & Brasfield, A Division of Schwartz Jambois, have been helping injured victims throughout the region. We have secured hundreds of millions of dollars for our clients, and we are prepared to put our experience to work for you. For a free consultation regarding your injury case, contact one of our skilled Rockford personal injury attorneys. Call 815-215-7561 to schedule an appointment.

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Source:

https://www.allstate.com/tools-and-resources/home-insurance/what-does-home-liability-cover.aspx