Injury to contractor on homeowner's property

What is the name of your state?What is the name of your state?DE
I had a contractor that came in to do some work on my property. He fell from a 6 ft ladder and injured himself. The injury does not appear to be serious and he was able to drive himself back home. There were no hazardous conditions that I am aware of. I believe that the fall occured due to lack of excercising due diligence by the contractor. I am not aware if the contractor has any kind of insurance. I would appreciate it if anyone has any recommendations for me. Will my homeowner's insurance provide any protection to me? Thanks.

baddyfan said:

What is the name of your state?What is the name of your state?DE
I had a contractor that came in to do some work on my property. He fell from a 6 ft ladder and injured himself. The injury does not appear to be serious and he was able to drive himself back home. There were no hazardous conditions that I am aware of. I believe that the fall occured due to lack of excercising due diligence by the contractor. I am not aware if the contractor has any kind of insurance. I would appreciate it if anyone has any recommendations for me. Will my homeowner's insurance provide any protection to me? Thanks.

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**A: well you needed to verfiy the contractor's insurance before signing the contract and letting him on your property. You need to find out if he has insurance. NOW!

If the contractor has workmen's compensation insurance, that will cover him for an injury (or the injury of one of his employees) at work. If he only has liability insurance, that will cover damage he causes to your property or to someone else but not to himself. He can put a claim in against you (anyone who is injured on your property can) and if he does do that, your homeowner's insurance will/should protect you. However, don't suggest that to the contractor. Don't put ideas in his head. If he's the contractor and not an employee of the contractor, I doubt he would consider that. If he's broken his arm or something else, he might need some extra time to finish your job though.

Masonandmore, Thanks for the information. I appreciate that! Do I need to notify my insurance company about the incident or should I stay put until there is a claim made by the contractor? Also, do you recommend I consult with an attorney?

do not notify your insurance company until he has made a claim.

In general you never want to disclose any POTENTIAL liability to your insurer because they don't really need to know yet and the only thing that the information will do is make the insurer think that you are a risky client who may need their rates raised or policy cancelled.

Some Random Guy said:

do not notify your insurance company until he has made a claim.

In general you never want to disclose any POTENTIAL liability to your insurer because they don't really need to know yet and the only thing that the information will do is make the insurer think that you are a risky client who may need their rates raised or policy cancelled.

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Of course, you meant to limit that answer only to policies that don't require notice of a "claim or potential claim" as a condition of coverage, right?