I’m sure that we would all call our insurance agent and present a claim if someone came onto our property, slipped and got hurt. And we would probably call our insurance agent if a tree fell on our house or a storm blew off the shingles.
But there are other situations that might bring our homeowner’s policy into play.
I recently had a client come into my office because their 35 year old child, who was between jobs and living at home with her parents at the time, was in a bicycle accident about 15 miles away from the house and someone was hurt enough to require an ambulance.
How many people would know that the parent’s homeowner’s insurance would have covered this situation?
First of all, the child is considered a ‘Resident Relative’ if she was living in her parents’ home and she is therefore a covered person under the policy.
Also, since there is a possibility that the action of a covered person caused harm to someone else, even though the bicycle accident was 15 miles away from the home, that accident is a covered event.
The problem in this case? The parents didn’t even think to contact the insurance company until much later when the injured person had hired an attorney and filed a lawsuit to recover for the injuries that resulted from the accident.
And the insurance policy has a clause that in any case where a claim might be filed, the insurance company must be notified in a timely manner.
What is a timely manner? The exact time-frame might be argued, but it is safer to always notify the insurance company on the next business day after the accident.
The lesson for the rest of us? If you, or a person who is living in your home, is involved in an accident of any type where there are injuries, contact your homeowner’s insurance carrier and let them know about the accident right away.
If you have questions about this or any other legal topic, please feel free to contact us at 757-234-4650 or visit our website at www.BeaversLaw.com.
