Halloween is full of scary decorations, but the scariest element of Halloween is someone getting injured due to a homeowner’s negligence. As a homeowner, you have a responsibility to uphold safe conditions for any guests, which includes trick-or-treaters. If homeowners neglect to keep safe conditions resulting in your injury, contact an experienced New York City Personal Injury Attorney who can help you recover damages.
Will I be held liable for any injuries sustained on my property as a homeowner this Halloween?
As a homeowner, you have a responsibility to all guests and visitors to uphold a safe environment. If any dangerous conditions could result in someone getting injured, you must remedy them. If you are participating in Halloween activities, such as passing out candy, you are inviting trick-or-treaters onto your property. This means you are liable as a homeowner to fix any hazardous conditions before inviting guests onto your property. As a homeowner, you will be held liable if you knew or reasonably should have known about any dangerous conditions and failed to fix them. New Jersey allows homeowners to be legally held responsible for failing to keep their property safe through premises liability.
What tips can help me protect my home as a homeowner this Halloween?
Homeowners should follow these steps to ensure their property is safe this Halloween:
- keep your walkways clear
- don’t have any open flames
- check your smoke alarms
- be alert for trick-or-treaters when backing out of your driveway
- keep your pets inside to ensure they don’t bite anyone
- all lighting should be grounded
- make sure your property is well lit
- don’t place decorations on sidewalks
- finish any home improvements
- tighten railings
- fix any loose steps
If you are not participating in Halloween festivities, you should turn your porch light off. As a homeowner, if you follow most of these tips it should prevent any injury from happening on your property.
What is the statute of limitations for an injury claim against a homeowner in New Jersey?
In New Jersey, if you are injured because of the negligence of a homeowner, you have two years from the date the injury was inflicted to file a claim. If you fail to file within this timeframe, you will be barred from ever doing so in the future. You can file a claim anytime within those two years. However, it is always better to act quickly under these circumstances. If you wait too long, you may lose your chance of recovering financial compensation for any damages suffered.
If you are injured on someone else’s property due to negligence, contact one of our many skilled and devoted attorneys who can help you get the ball rolling. We can help you seek the justice you deserve.
