The State of North Carolina has legal statutes in place called Premises Liability Laws which are a type of personal injury law relating to injuries occurring on another person’s property. Property owners in NC are required by state law to maintain premises that are safe for the public, whether these premises are used for business or for personal residential use. It is a property owner’s (or rental resident’s) obligation to keep their property in a safe condition or, if there exist any potentially dangerous situations, to warn visitors of such. Failure to do so may result in liability charges in the event that someone visiting that property has an accident and gets injured.
What You Need To Do
If someone gets injured on your property it could be the result of one of many things. Some of the most common injuries are the result of slip and fall or trip and fall accidents. Another fairly common injury that can occur while visiting someone’s home is an animal assault such as a dog bite.
The first thing you should do if someone becomes injured on your property is to assess the extent of the damage to their person to determine whether or not emergency services should be called. If in doubt, 9-1-1 should be contacted. Let them decide whether or not emergency medical attention is warranted.
If it’s determined that immediate medical assistance is not required, it may still be a good idea to notify the police. If possible, you should take photographs of the purported injury and also the area where it took place to verify the condition of the property at that time. Your homeowners insurance company agent should also be called as soon as possible to notify your insurer of the occurrence and seek any pertinent information they may have to offer considering what to do next.
Similar to making a claim when you’re involved in a vehicle accident, your homeowners insurance company will likely have a claims adjuster contact you to begin processing your claim. It’s a good idea to confer with your insurance company before making any statements for the record. Remember, just because someone slips and falls on your property it doesn’t mean you’re necessarily liable if the accident isn’t due to your negligence. The liability coverage on your homeowners insurance policy will only pay a claim where negligence on your part can be demonstrated.