Personal injury coverage is a key part of homeowners insurance that helps when someone gets hurt on your property. If you're injured while on someone else's property, this coverage can pay for your medical bills and lost wages. Today, knowing about this coverage is vital if you've been hurt and need help with costs.
Getting injured on someone else's property can be stressful. But their personal liability insurance might cover your expenses. This guide will help you understand what's covered and how to get the help you need.
What is personal injury coverage on homeowners insurance? It protects both homeowners and guests who are injured on the property.
Personal injury coverage protects homeowners when someone gets hurt on their property and they're found legally responsible. For you as a victim, this means there's an insurance policy that can cover your:
This coverage kicks in when the homeowner is at fault for your injury. This ensures you receive compensation without causing financial hardship for the homeowner.
When you're injured on someone's property, you file a claim with their homeowner's insurer. The insurance company checks if the homeowner is at fault. If they were, the coverage helps pay for your needs up to the policy limits.
The process starts when you tell the homeowner about your injury. They contact their insurance company. You'll need to show proof of your injuries and expenses. The insurer may also ask how the injury happened.
Personal injury coverage covers bodily injury to guests, while property coverage handles damage to physical items. If you fall and get hurt, personal injury coverage helps with your medical care. If you break something valuable, that's covered under property coverage. Personal injury coverage focuses on people—your pain and money lost from being hurt. Property coverage is about fixing or replacing damaged things.
Liability insurance provides financial protection if you suffer an injury at someone’s home. It protects both the homeowner and you from bearing high costs.
Personal liability insurance covers injuries that happen on someone's property when they're legally responsible. For you as a victim, this can include:
The coverage can also help with cases of false arrest, malicious prosecution, wrongful entry, or wrongful eviction. Many people are unaware of this aspect of personal injury insurance. This coverage often applies even when you're hurt away from your home, as long as the homeowner or a family member caused your injury.
There are many cases where personal injury coverage might help you:
If you've been injured on someone else's property in any of these ways, the homeowner's liability coverage may cover your expenses.
Homeowners insurance offers several types of protection for people injured on the property. Understanding these coverages can help you know what to expect.
If you're injured while visiting someone's home, their homeowner's insurance can cover your medical expenses. This coverage usually ranges from $1,000 to $5,000.
For serious injuries caused by the homeowner's negligence, personal liability coverage helps. This coverage is much higher—often $100,000 to $300,000. It can help with big medical bills, lost income, and pain from the injury.
As a victim, take photos of where you were hurt. Get statements from witnesses. Keep all medical records and bills from your injury.
When a homeowner doesn't keep their property safe and you get hurt, their liability coverage can help. Examples include:
If you're injured because they were careless, you can file a claim with their insurance. You'll need to show they knew about the danger and didn't fix it.
Homeowners insurance also covers injuries to others or damage to their property caused by the homeowner. Most policies have limits for both personal injury and property damage claims.
If you're hurt and your things are damaged—like if you fall and break your phone—you can claim both. But be aware of coverage limits. They set how much the insurance will pay for your claims.
What Personal Injury Coverage Does Not Include
While personal injury coverage helps in many cases, it doesn't cover everything. Know these limits when seeking money for an injury.
Most homeowner's policies don't cover certain types of injuries, even on the property:
If your injury falls under one of these exclusions, look for other ways to get help, such as through the homeowner's other insurance or your own health insurance.
If you're hurt while the homeowner is doing business activities, their regular homeowner's insurance probably won't help. For example, if you're injured in a paid class at someone's home, their personal coverage likely won't apply.
Business activities need separate business liability insurance. If you're hurt in such a case, ask if they have business insurance that might cover your injuries.
Injuries from intentional acts or criminal behavior are almost never covered. If someone purposely hurt you, their insurance would likely deny the claim.
In these cases, you might need to press charges or file a lawsuit against the person who harmed you. While this is harder than an insurance claim, it may be your only option for getting help after intentional harm.
Understanding coverage limits is key to knowing what you might get for your injuries. Most homeowners have standard amounts, but these vary widely.
Coverage limits are the most a homeowners insurance policy will pay for a claim. Most homeowners have liability limits between $100,000 and $500,000. Some have $1 million or more with umbrella policies.
As a victim, these limits affect how much you can get. If your injuries cost $250,000 in medical bills and lost wages, but the homeowner only has $100,000 in coverage, you'd need to seek the rest directly from them. The declaration page of a homeowner policy shows these limits. After an injury, you can ask for this insurance info or have your lawyer request it.
This helps you understand why some properties might have more or less coverage for you as a victim:
Knowing these factors helps you guess what coverage might be available after your injury.
Some property features create higher injury risks and might trigger extra coverage for you as a victim:
If you're hurt in one of these high-risk scenarios, check if the homeowner has additional protection beyond their standard policy.
If you've been injured on someone else's property, the personal injury lawyers at Cefali & Cefali in San Juan Capistrano, CA, can help you. We understand homeowners insurance and can fight for the money you deserve.
Our team knows how to deal with insurance companies that try to pay you less. We can calculate all your damages—including future medical care and lost work—to ensure a fair payment. Don't handle complex insurance claims alone. Call us today for a free chat about your rights. We only get paid if we win your case.
Why Choose Cefali & Cefali Personal Injury Lawyers
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