GUN ACCIDENT INJURY – MN LAWYER
Friends of ours were recently visiting their relatives in St. Cloud for the holidays. At about midnight one night, they were in the kitchen when they heard something that sounded like an explosion. They looked around, thinking it was a jar of food that exploded. But what they found was a bullet hole.
The next-door neighbor was cleaning his handgun, and the gun accidentally went off. A bullet went through a wall of the neighbor’s house, through the wall at the house our friends were visiting, into the kitchen. The bullet ricocheted at least once, gouged the granite counter-top, and then lodged in a wall. There were five people in the kitchen and amazingly no one was hit!
GUN OWNER RESPONSIBLE
Our friends wanted to know whose homeowners insurance would pay for the damage from this accidental gunshot. Also, what would have happened if someone was hurt in this gun accident? The answer provided by our lawyer is that the person who fired the gun SHOULD be responsible, and hopefully it would be covered by his homeowners insurance. However, in this case the person with the gun was renting the house and did not have homeowners insurance.
It would be unlikely that the owner of the rented house and his insurance could be responsible under Minnesota law. After all, the owner of the house did not fire the gun. Fortunately, the homeowner’s insurance of the house our friends were visiting will pay for the damage in their kitchen. However, the homeowner will still have to pay their $1,000 deductible. Can they get the deductible back from the neighbor who shot the gun? They can try. Their insurance company can also sue the neighbor whose gun accidentally went off for reimbursement. The problem will be trying to collect from the uninsured renter who owned the gun.
INJURED IN GUN ACCIDENT – HOMEOWNERS INSURANCE
What would happen if someone had been injured in this gun accident? Would there be any compensation available to them for being accidentally shot? What about medical bills from the gun accident? Unfortunately, your own homeowners insurance would not cover your injuries from a gun accident. Nor would the insurance for the house where our friends were visiting cover a gun injury in this situation.
Our attorneys have been frustrated by this situation many times. As mentioned above, the person who actually caused the injury had no homeowners insurance. It would be difficult or impossible to collect from after being sued. Because it was the uninsured neighbor that caused the shooting accident, there is no insurance claim against any homeowners’ policy. Our friends’ own homeowners insurance would also not be responsible for paying any compensation. Their own insurance only pays for injuries they CAUSE, not injuries that happen to them.
Our friends’ health insurance WOULD cover their medical bills. However, there would be nothing for loss of earnings or disfigurement if one of them was hit in the head or lost an eye. Fortunately, no one was hurt in this case and a lawyer did not need to get involved.
PERSONAL INJURY LAWYERS FOR GUN ACCIDENT
If you or a family member is injured in a gun accident in Minnesota, call our office for a free consultation with an attorney. The initial investigation is very important. It is especially important to get good photographs, save evidence, and contact witnesses. Our lawyers know what we will need later, and it can be very helpful if we can get involved early. We are Minnesota personal injury attorneys. Our lawyers have more than 25 years’ experience successfully handling hundreds of accident cases. The initial consultation is free, and we only charge based on a percentage of the compensation you receive.
Pam Rochlin previously was a partner at Meshbesher and Spence where she gained big firm experience. She is happy to provide small firm attention for all types of injury accidents.A lawyercan meet you to discuss a gun accident injury case at our offices in Minneapolis, Edina, Woodbury, and St. Louis Park. We also meet people at their homes in many surrounding cities including Eden Prairie, Richfield, Chaska, Chanhassen, Apple Valley, Rogers, Maple Grove, Brooklyn Center, St. Paul, and other cities throughout Minnesota.