If I was bitten by a snake on someone else’s land where I was working, is their homeowner’s insurance supposed to take care of my medical bills?
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If I was bitten by a snake on someone else’s land where I was working, is their homeowner’s insurance supposed to take care of my medical bills?
Am I able to get money for pain suffering? I was not working for a company; I was working for my landlord at his home. I am paid half cash, half towards my rent for my apartment.
Asked on June 6, 2012 under Personal Injury, West Virginia
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 11 years ago | Contributor
Homeowner's insurance would only pay if the homeowner was at fault in causing or contributing to your injury, and if the homeowner or insurer did not voluntarily agree there was fault and pay, you'd have to sue the homeowner and prove his liability in a court of law.
In the case you describe, a homeowner would not generally be responsible for a snake on his land. You'd have to show something like the following--
1) It was his pet snake, which he let out, either deliberately or carelessly
2) He knew there were significant numbers of biting or dangerous snakes around and neither warned you nor took any steps to deal with them
--in order to establish fault and liability.
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