Am I Liable for Injuries on My Property on Halloween?

Halloween is the biggest night of the year where children with costumes go out to trick-or-treat and load up on sugary treats. Halloween night allows families to transform their front yards into haunted houses or creepy graveyards, and neighborhoods even have competitions to see who has the scariest home. With an increased number of kids near your home, someone might get injured.

What Happens If a Trick-or-Treater is Injured at My Home?

If a visitor is injured on your property, you might be found liable for their injuries if you were negligent. This concept is called premises liability. For instance, if you own the home, you could be responsible for any slips and falls on your front yard that lead to an injury. If a trick-or-treater was injured at a business that you own, you could also be liable if it was found you were negligent in keeping the property safe.

To be found liable in a premises liability case, you must have caused or created the dangerous hazard; known about the condition but failed to repair or warn others of it within a reasonable time; or it is proven that you should have known about the hazard and had a reasonable time to repair  or warn others of it. Contact one of our personal injury attorneys at Walsh Woodard LLC today if you seek potential representation.

In order to prevent a premises liability lawsuit, you should make sure that you properly prepare your home for Halloween night. You should:

• Keep your front yard and any walkways well lit
• Ensure there are no trip hazards, such as cords, wires, or any decorations that aren’t easily seen
• Use battery-powered candles in Jack-o-Lanterns and other decorations to prevent a fire
• Use caution with fog machines or dry ice, since these can limit sight
• Make sure your dogs are kept inside