Homeowner’s insurance policies are excellent for protecting a property owner from an expensive personal injury lawsuit. They typically provide financial coverage for injuries when visitors are injured while on the property. In this respect, they are primarily liability protection plans that only allow for injury coverage for anyone injured on the property who does not live in the associated dwelling defined as the home on the policy. Homeowners and their families typically must rely on personal healthcare insurance if injured at home unless there is an insurance policy rider for med pay benefits included in the HO Policy. This is the homeowner version of what auto policyholders consider full coverage.
Understanding Homeowners’ Liability Coverage
The main reason for having homeowner’s liability insurance from the onset is to protect against a personal injury lawsuit if a visitor is injured in your home. Property owners who do not carry homeowner’s liability coverage run the risk of being sued should a visitor to your property be involved in an accident. Without liability coverage, a homeowner may find themselves in court with an attorney and arguing a contributory negligence defense, (which can be very effective in some states like North Carolina).
The responsibility for medical bill recovery is just one of the issues insurance companies cover under a liability policy. The policy may also prevent the homeowner from being sued for general damages for long-term impact from the accident, that can include mental anguish for dealing with the injury.
Homeowners Liability Insurance Extends Both Inside And Outside The Property
The Med Pay Alternative
Some full coverage policies do indeed come with a med pay benefit rider that can be used when specific individuals are injured under conditions where the claimant legally occupied the property. This can include family members and the homeowner themselves, but it must be purchased in addition to liability insurance protection. This can be redundant insurance for many home owners because they also have personal health insurance in most situations. However, it can be purchased and will be valid for financial recovery for medical bills stemming from the treatment for injuries associated with any accident claim on the property, and can also be used to provide relief from loss of wages while the injured homeowner recovers.
Spousal Injuries
Homeowner policy details can be important just like other insurance coverage cases, and liability or denial of coverage can be affected even by the names
on the policy. The central question will be who owns and legally occupies the property. For traditionally married couples, if the home is in both of their names, the policy should be consistent with the ownership. If the home is owned by one spouse and the other is hurt, proof that the spouse actually lived at the residence at the time of injury would need to be provided with the claim. Where people occupy a property and are not named on the main home policy, as in a situation where the occupantes rent the home, then a Renters’ insurance policy should be purchased for the non-owner resident in order for coverage to be effective.
Contact Our Offices
Regardless of the issues surrounding a denied injury claim filed on a homeowner’s policy in North Carolina, it is always better to have legal representation when filing a claim. Our lawyers can conduct an evaluation of your policy and the details of your claim and advise you on the likelihood of any potential financial recovery. Depending on the material case details, a settlement of some amount could be reached. Even whole damages could be available when there are no factors of personal negligence involved, which is always a serious legal issue in North Carolina.
