Haris Ashley
Lawnmowers are a common cause of serious injuries and high costs. Homeowners insurance can help cover medical and legal expenses if someone who doesn't live in your household gets hurt on your property and needs to go to the hospital and/or ends up suing you, including if they're hurt while using a lawnmower. However, if you or someone who lives in your home gets hurt by a lawnmower, your liability insurance won't help pay for your medical bills. Homeowners insurance will also cover damage to your lawnmower if it is caused by a peril included in your policy, such as a fire or theft.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Lawn Mower Accidents Covered by Homeowner's Insurance | If the lawn mower damages your home, shed, fence, or any other structures on your property, the dwelling and other structures portions of your homeowners insurance will cover the damage. |
| If someone who doesn't live in your household gets hurt on your property while using a lawn mower, the liability coverage included in your homeowners insurance will pay for medical and legal expenses. | |
| If your lawn mower is destroyed in a fire, your home insurance policy will help replace or repair it. | |
| If your lawn mower is stolen from your garage, your insurance will cover it. | |
| If your lawn mower is damaged in a flood, your insurance won't reimburse you for repairing or replacing it. | |
| If you or a family member gets hurt by a lawn mower, your liability insurance won't help pay for your medical bills. | |
| If your lawn mower is damaged due to general wear and tear, your insurance won't help you. | |
| If your lawn mower has been used to service any non-residential premises, your insurance may not cover it. | |
| If you hire someone to mow your lawn, you should ensure they have insurance. If they don't, you should consider increasing your liability coverage. |
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What You'll Learn
Lawnmower accidents and injuries
Lawnmowers can cause serious injuries and even death. According to a study published in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine, there were an estimated 934,394 lawnmower injuries treated in U.S. emergency departments between 2005 and 2015, with an average of 84,944 injuries annually. Lawnmower accidents were responsible for the deaths of an average of 90 Americans annually—significantly higher than the one average death caused by sharks, alligators, and bears. The chances of dying from a lawnmower accident are also higher than from snake bites, which kill an average of six people annually, and venomous spiders, which kill an average of 11 people.
Lawnmower injuries can occur in a variety of ways, including debris becoming a flying projectile, children falling off riding lawn mowers, kids and pets getting in the way, and people trying to clear the mower blade without first disabling the power. In one instance, a man in Tennessee accidentally ran over his two-year-old son with his tractor, resulting in the boy losing all his toes and part of his left foot.
Children are particularly vulnerable to lawnmower accidents, with younger children more likely to sustain amputation injuries and require longer hospital stays and more surgical procedures. A study of pediatric patients in St. Louis found that 75% were male, 84% had injuries to the lower extremity, 40% experienced traumatic amputation, and 13% required a prosthesis after the injury. Older teens and adults were more likely to injure their hands or upper extremities by putting their hands into the mower to clear debris.
To prevent lawnmower accidents and injuries, it is important to follow safety measures such as stopping the blades if the operator leaves the control position, increasing setback height, improving machine stability, and preventing the mower from backing up with powered blades. Consumer education and advanced technology can also play a crucial role in reducing the prevalence of lawnmower injuries.
In terms of insurance, lawnmower accidents can result in costly claims that exceed the standard $100,000 homeowner policy liability limit. Homeowners should carefully review their insurance policies to understand their coverage in the event of a lawnmower accident, especially if they plan to rent out their property. Additionally, when hiring someone to mow their lawn, homeowners should ensure that the person has adequate insurance coverage to avoid potential legal and financial liabilities.
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Lawnmower insurance coverage limits
Homeowner's Insurance
If you own a lawnmower for personal use, it may be covered under your homeowner's insurance policy. The liability coverage included in homeowner's insurance typically covers medical and legal expenses if someone who doesn't live with you gets injured on your property, including while using your lawnmower. It also covers damage caused by your lawnmower to someone else's property. Additionally, your lawnmower may be covered as personal property under your homeowner's insurance, which means repairs or replacement due to covered perils may be reimbursed. However, there are usually limits to this coverage, and the standard policy limit may not be sufficient to cover the full cost of a riding lawnmower, which can cost several thousand dollars.
Umbrella Policy
If your homeowner's insurance doesn't provide adequate coverage for your lawnmower, you can purchase an umbrella policy to supplement it. This provides additional protection for incidents such as flying debris, rollovers, or blade-related injuries.
Business Insurance for Lawn Care
If you own a lawn care business, it's essential to have the proper insurance coverage. Lawn care insurance can include general liability insurance, which protects against financial losses due to customer injuries, property damage, and copyright infringement. Tools and equipment insurance can also be added to cover your gear, including lawnmowers, wherever you take them. Commercial property insurance can help with replacement costs or repairs to equipment and inventory due to covered events.
Coverage Limits and Exclusions
It's important to note that every insurer has different limits and exclusions. Coverage limits may depend on factors such as the nature of your business, the number of employees, and the state you're in. When considering coverage limits, it's advisable to think about the worst-case scenarios and ensure you have sufficient coverage.
In summary, lawnmower insurance coverage limits can vary significantly, and it's essential to carefully review your policy to understand your specific coverage.
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Lawnmower damage to property
Lawnmowers can cause serious injuries and property damage. According to a study published in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine, approximately 85,000 lawnmower-related injuries are reported in US emergency departments each year. Lawnmower accidents are a common cause of traumatic amputations in children, and flying debris caused by lawnmowers is not uncommon.
If your lawnmower damages your home, shed, fence, or any other structures on your property, your homeowners insurance will cover it, as long as your policy does not specifically exclude lawnmower accidents. This is known as dwelling coverage, which is less limited than personal property coverage. Your car is not included in this coverage, so if your lawnmower damages your vehicle, you will need to file a claim with your auto insurance provider.
Personal property coverage will cover any personal belongings in your home. If your lawnmower is damaged or destroyed, your insurance company should pay for repairs or replacements up to your policy limit. However, if your lawnmower is expensive, your policy limit may not be sufficient to cover the total cost of replacement. In this case, you may want to raise your personal property limit or add an endorsement to your policy to ensure your mower is fully covered.
If you hire someone to mow your lawn, and they are injured while on your property, their medical bills and legal bills (if they sue) become your financial responsibility. Liability coverage is standard on all homeowner's policies, but you can increase the limits by paying an extra premium. It is important to check your coverage and consider increasing your liability coverage if you are in the habit of hiring uninsured workers.
Finally, it is worth noting that homeowners insurance policies have changed over time. For example, the 1991 ISO HO3 policy covered riding lawnmowers used to service an "insured's residence," while the 2000 and 2011 editions of the same policy covered lawnmowers used "solely" for this purpose. Therefore, it is crucial to carefully review your policy to understand your coverage.
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Lawnmower fire damage
Lawnmowers are covered under the personal property section of homeowners insurance, along with everything else you own, such as furniture and clothing. This means that if your lawnmower is damaged by fire, your insurance company should pay for repairs or a replacement, up to your policy limit. However, it is important to note that policy limits for personal property coverage typically range from $1,000 to $2,500 per item, which may not be sufficient to cover the total cost of a replacement riding lawnmower. Therefore, if you have a riding mower that costs more than $2,500, you may want to consider raising your personal property limit or purchasing additional coverage.
In addition to personal property coverage, homeowners insurance also provides liability coverage, which is standard on all policies. This means that if someone who doesn't live in your household is using your lawnmower and gets injured or causes damage to someone else's property, your insurance will pay for their medical and legal expenses, as well as any property damage. However, it is important to note that liability coverage typically only applies if the lawnmower is being used to service a residence and not for other purposes, such as mowing a church lawn.
Furthermore, it is crucial to understand the limitations of your homeowners insurance when it comes to lawnmower accidents. While insurance can help with certain types of accidents, it may not cover all scenarios. For example, general wear and tear or damage caused by excluded perils such as floods are typically not covered. Additionally, if you plan to turn your primary home into a rental property, you will need to change your homeowners policy to a landlord policy to ensure proper coverage.
To ensure that you have adequate coverage for your lawnmower and any potential accidents, it is important to carefully review your homeowners insurance policy and consider purchasing additional coverage or raising your policy limits if necessary. By taking these steps, you can protect yourself from financial liability and have peace of mind knowing that you are covered in the event of a lawnmower-related incident.
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Lawnmower theft
Lawnmowers are considered personal property, so they are protected under the personal property section of your insurance. This means that if your lawnmower is stolen, your insurance company should pay for a replacement, up to your policy limit. Homeowners insurance typically covers theft from your home and property, and personal property coverage will provide coverage for personal belongings in the home.
However, it is important to note that the loss settlement will depend on the type of coverage purchased. For example, if you purchased replacement cost coverage, your stolen items are usually covered for the amount it costs to repair or replace them, minus your deductible. It is also important to check your policy to understand which perils it covers. For instance, if your lawnmower is damaged in a fire, flood, or another included peril, your insurance will cover the damage.
In terms of liability, if you hire someone to mow your lawn, and they are injured, your insurance can help cover their medical bills and legal fees if you are sued. However, it is recommended that you hire a lawn care company with its own business insurance to cover any damage they do to your property, any workers who get hurt, and any equipment malfunctions.
The specific coverage provided by your homeowner's insurance will depend on the edition date of your policy. For example, the 1991 edition of the ISO HO3 policy extends liability coverage to a riding lawnmower "Used to service an 'insured's residence." The 2000 edition of the same policy states that the lawnmower must be used "solely" to service an insured's residence, and any use outside of this context voids the coverage. The 2011 edition extends liability coverage to a riding lawnmower "Used solely to service a residence," meaning that as long as the riding mower is used to service any residence, the policyholder is covered.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes and no. Homeowners insurance can help with certain types of lawn mower accidents, but not all of them. For example, if your lawn mower gets damaged in an event that isn't included in your policy, such as a flood, you won't be reimbursed for repairing or replacing it.
The liability coverage included in your homeowners insurance pays for medical and legal expenses if someone who doesn't live in your household gets hurt on your property and needs to go to the hospital and/or ends up suing you.
Your liability insurance won’t help pay for your medical bills. Homeowners insurance only covers someone else using your lawn mower.
Your home policy should help replace or repair your lawn mower.
