Slip and fall accidents can happen anywhere in life, including at your neighbor’s home. Getting injured on a friend’s property can be very stressful. You don’t want to have to pay out-of-pocket for your medical treatment or file the claim with your own insurance company, but you likely feel awkward talking about the situation with your neighbor. Our slip and fall lawyer in Los Angeles will walk you through how to handle a slip and fall accident at a neighbor’s home.
Is the Homeowner Covered by Insurance?
Homeowner’s insurance is only required when there is a mortgage on the home. If your neighbor owns the home free and clear they might not have an insurance policy for the property. There’s no data record of people who have homeowner’s insurance, which means the only way to find out if the property is insured is by asking the owner.
If there is coverage on the home you need to speak with the owner about your injury and obtain the contact information for the insurer. This will be necessary when the time comes to report the injury to the insurance company.
Report the Injury
Once you have obtained the insurance company information from the homeowner you can report the injury. It’s best that you report the injury as soon as possible so you don’t let the statute of limitations lapse. It’s also possible that if you wait too long to make a report to the insurer that the company might think the injury is not a legitimate one.
What if My Neighbor Doesn’t Want to Use the Insurance?
There is a possibility that your neighbor will be reluctant to use their homeowner’s insurance coverage for the slip and fall accident. One reason for this is that they might have too many claims made against their policy and an additional one could lead to them being dropped by the insurer. Your only option here is to sue the homeowner for the name and contact information of their insurance company.
Provide a Statement
The homeowner’s insurance company will want you to provide a statement as to exactly what happened regarding your injury. The information provided in your statement will help the insurance company determine if the accident was actually an accident. For example, were you acting inappropriately when the accident occurred? Were you on the neighbor’s property without their consent?
Receiving Medical Payment Coverage
Almost all homeowners will have medical payment coverage as part of their homeowner’s policy. This feature will pay for the medical bills of someone injured on their property whether or not the homeowner was negligent in the case. This coverage ranges from $5,000 to $10,000. All you need to do is submit your medical bills to the claims adjuster for them to be paid by the insurance policy.
If you have been injured in a slip and fall accident at your neighbor’s home you need to contact our lawyer immediately. Contact the office at 310-997-0904 to discuss your injury and to find out how to make a claim against your neighbor’s insurance company.
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