It’s almost July 4th, and that means it is time to celebrate America’s birthday with food, parties, and fireworks! Fireworks are the number one amusement of July 4th, so what does insurance cover if something goes wrong in your fireworks show this holiday?
Are firework-related injuries covered by insurance?
If during your party, you accidentally knock over a firework that hits Aunt Betty, your homeowners policy has an endorsement that covers personal liability. A lot of people think that it’s strictly for their house, but a homeowners policy encapsulates everything that comes with being a homeowner. One of those things is throwing parties and having some liability exposure. Your homeowners policy will step in and help cover any legal fees you might have if she sues you. It will help cover any medical expenses that she could then levy back and ask you to pay for. Because your fireworks didn’t go as planned, it doesn’t mean that you were negligent. Pointing a firework at someone and saying, “Catch this,” would cause serious issues, and your coverage might not apply. If it’s strictly an accident where it launches up, turns over and goes right to Aunt Betty, the liability aspect of your homeowners has your coverage.
Is your home insured from fireworks?
If your home catches fire from fireworks, a homeowners policy will pay for the replacement of your home. A firework under most policy provisions is not an excluded peril. That means that you would have coverage with a full homeowners policy.
How does an insurance policy act if you damage your neighbor’s property?
If you are playing a sick prank by shooting fireworks at your neighbor’s property there is no coverage, because that’s negligence. If it was strictly an accident, your neighbor’s homeowners policy would most likely step in primarily and cover damages. But since you were liable and it was a bad accident, the liability portion of your homeowners policy could step in and help cover some of those costs to rebuild their home.
Exclusions:
If you are intentionally using fireworks for harm, policy exclusions are going to step in due to negligence on your behalf. If you bring illegal fireworks from out of state and something goes wrong, your policy is also going to have some issues because that would show negligence and coverage might not be extended. This is why it’s important to make sure you know what your policy says. It might make sense to read through some of the papers you receive to make sure you know what is and what is not covered. You can also give us a call at Susquehanna Insurance where we can help walk you through any questions you have about your policy like what company you have, what coverage you have, and if you are covered from things like fireworks.