If you had a social event in your home and a guest was injured, a personal injury lawyer in Jacksonville may be able to explain various laws that may be implicated by this series of events. One common course of action that injured guests take is to pursue a negligence action against the homeowner. Even if the injured victim was not at your home, you may still be liable for injuries that result and link back to your event.

Duty of Care

One of the most important aspects of the case that a personal injury attorney in Jacksonville will discuss with you is the duty of care that you owe guests. As a host, you have the legal duty to warn people on your property of any unknown dangers. However, you do not have the duty to warn adults of obvious dangers. If you have invited people into your home for your own financial gain, such as for a business meeting or party where you will sell goods, you will owe them an even higher degree of care. Similarly, if the injured victim is a minor, you will likely be found to have owed him or her a greater degree of care based on the child’s inability to notice certain dangers that may be evident to adults.

Dram Shop Law

Florida’s dram shop law permits plaintiffs to sue you if you served alcohol in your home and the guest left your home and injured another individual. However, a personal injury lawyer in Jacksonville can explain that such liability only arises if the guest was a minor or if you served alcohol to a person who you knew to be addicted to alcohol.

Insurance Considerations

Fortunately, you can shield the degree of liability that you may be exposed to by having homeowners insurance in place. Homeowners and renters can both secure insurance that will protect them in case a legal claim arises. Coverage typically includes accidental injuries that may occur, but these policies do not usually include coverage for a person’s intentional acts that lead to injury, such as fighting or breaking something on purpose.

If you would like to learn about whether you may be exposed to liability due to an accident that occurred in your home or that stemmed from an accident by a guest who drank at your event, John Fagan may be able to help. Call 904-278-1000.