Your daughter is playing in the yard with friends. Suddenly she runs in, crying that her best friend fell and appears to be hurt. You rush out to find the young girl lying on the ground, screaming, and holding her arm that seems to be broken. Just then her mother runs up -- and, as she scoops up her daughter, snaps at you angrily, "I hope you have good insurance!" She then rushes her daughter to the emergency room. Although the mother was clearly speaking in anxiety and anger arising from seeing her child hurt, she has raised a good point.
Fortunately, your Homeowners insurance comes into play in a situation like this, Every Homeowners policy includes Medical Payments (or "med pay"), which covers medical expenses from an injury to a person on your premises with your permission, regardless of who was at fault.
By stepping up immediately to help with medical expenses, admitting no more than that the child was in your yard at the time of the injury, you might well avoid a lawsuit for damages. Rather than infuriating an already angry parent, med pay allows you to show your concern and offer financial support in a stressful situation.
Note that med pay coverage does not apply to everyone injured on your property. For example, it won't pick up the medical expenses of someone insured under the policy (such as a family member) or for an injury arising from a business conducted on your premises (such as a day care center).
Your Homeowners policy helps protect you against a wide variety of losses. Give us a call and our insurance professionals will be happy to fill you in!