Each year, 10 million people visit the emergency room because of injuries suffered on their or someone else’s residential property. This results in about 6 million insurance claims seeking compensation for lost wages, medical bills and other damages. The most common types of injuries suffered by household guests include slips and falls, dog attacks and electrical burns. Drug overdoses are another common cause of injury among house guests.
Drug overdoses typically occur when children or teenagers have access to prescription medication left within their reach. Homeowners may be liable for the injuries or death of those who were classified as an invitee or a licensee when they were on the property. Licensees typically refer to family members, friends or other invited guests to the home. An invitee is someone who is allowed to be on the property to mow the lawn, deliver the mail or for some other purpose.
Those who are hurt while on another person’s property should inform the homeowner of the injury right away. They should also take pictures or video of the conditions that caused the injury and ask for witness statements to further build the case. Injured victims may also want to seek medical treatment as part of their case for compensation. From there, an insurance adjuster will look into the case and determine how the insurance company will handle a claim.
Individuals who are hurt in a slip and fall accident may be entitled to compensation. This may be true if they were allowed to be on a property and were victims of property owner negligence. An attorney may be able to use pictures or videos taken from the scene of the accident to build a case against the property owner. Compensation may provide help paying medical bills or recouping lost wages.