As a parent, you can sometimes find yourself responsible for other people’s children. Car pools, play dates, sporting events and birthday parties seem completely harmless, but you may be legally or financially liable if a child is injured on your property, in your car, or in your care even though most of us don’t see such activities as a risk.
The good news is, however, most risks are covered by commonly held insurances. Most people are covered for injury on their property through their homeowner policy, but not many know that homeowner policies can cover you and your family for injuries that you may cause that do not occur on your property. Similarly, auto coverages cover people injured when you are operating your vehicle, but they may also cover you and your family when you are injured as a pedestrian or are injured operating a motor vehicle that you do not own or regularly use. Lastly, most homeowners and auto insurance policies include payments for medical expenses whether or not the person injured caused their own injuries in order to allow the injured party to get immediate and necessary medical attention.
Not all states require certain insurances, and if they do, the minimal limits are just that, minimal. Auto policies allow us to purchase uninsured and underinsured coverage to protect ourselves and our families when the responsible party does not have enough insurance. Also, some coverages cover us here in the United States, but they may not cover you, for example, if you are operating a car in a foreign country.
For many, if you have any assets, you may wish to think about obtaining an umbrella policy. This protects you should there be a catastrophic injury, one that exceeds your homeowners or auto policy limits.
Insurance coverage is complicated. Feel free to contact me if you would like to go over your coverages. At the very least, go over your insurance carefully with your insurance agent.
Thank you,
Michael K. Gillis, Esq.
GILLIS & BIKOFSKY, P.C.
1150 Walnut Street
Newton, MA 02461
Phone: 617-244-4300
Fax: 617-964-0862
E-mail: mgillis@gillisandbikofsky.com