Whether you’re on vacation or down the street, the liability insurance in your homeowner’s policy has you covered. This applies to you and all residents of your home (including your pets). And this coverage protects you whether you are found negligent or not. (See Personal Liability in the Standard Home Coverage article.)
Legal liability arising from your personal actions which cause harm to others could include things like the following:
- You take your dog for a walk and while out, he bites someone and causes serious injury.
- A child is hurt while a member of your family is babysitting him or her.
- Your son or daughter is snowboarding and accidentally collides with a skier who is injured.
- You hit someone in the face with the ball while playing tennis at a vacation resort.
- While on a golfing trip, you misjudge your swing and accidentally hit a bystander.
In Canada, the injured person’s medical needs are looked after through the medicare system. But, what you may not know is that the medicare system has the right to attempt to recover its costs from you personally. The injured person could also sue you for a number of reasons, such as lost income or pain and suffering.
Depending on your situation, you may also want to look into umbrella coverage. This is supplementary personal liability coverage which allows you to increase your basic liability.
