Keeping You Safe – Backyard risks that are hidden in plain sight

2020-07-28
By: Denise Koslowsky

With the stay at home orders that have been in place since March, it may seem like we are in the middle of an endless summer.  With our traditional summer lasting through Labor Day, we wanted to be sure we shared information about a few of the risks hidden in plain sight…right in your own backyard.

Pools

When it comes to backyard pools, insurance companies require proper safety equipment and fencing to keep your family safe.  If you have young children at home and a pool in your back yard, you can’t be too vigilant.

About 750 children drown each year, 375 of whom do so
within 25 yards of a parent or adult.

One of the best things you can do to protect your family is to have a pool alarm installed.  There are several different types of alarms to choose from, such as:

• Alarms on doors leading to the pool area
• Alarms that alert you when the surface of the pool has been disturbed
• Alarms that tell you someone is submerged in your pool
• Even alarms you place on a child’s wrist to let you know they are to taking an unsupervised dip.

Trampolines

In an ideal world, your kid would jump up and down on their trampoline and land on their feet in the center with each bounce.  Unfortunately, kids lose their balance and can land on the springs or over the edge on the ground.

 During summertime, trampoline injuries account for as many
as 13% of children’s accidents requiring hospital care.

Even if you take every suggested safety precaution such as screens and padding, you cannot be sure that every child who jumps on your trampoline will be safe.  Something as simple as playing with a ball while on the trampoline can cause an injury (we have seen cases where a child lands on the ball and breaks their leg).  The risk factor also increases when multiple children climb onto the trampoline and jump at the same time.

Dogs

We all love our pets and do not like to think of them as causing harm to anyone but it does happen and most often, children are the victims.

Roughly 34% of dog bites to children 17 and under occurred from June through August.

Many people who own dogs that are on the list of so called dangerous breeds are concerned that they will not be covered, although our business partnerships with our elite carriers allows for coverage of most breeds of dogs.  However, if your dog has bitten someone once, your insurance could be in jeopardy.

Final Piece Of Advice From Advocate

A Personal Umbrella policy or Excess Liability Insurance is an important part of your insurance portfolio and gives you what we call sleep better at night insurance that is added on top of your existing insurance portfolio to help protect your personal assets.  These types of policies kick in when the liability limits on your homeowner’s policy have been exhausted. And most importantly, a personal umbrella policy will protect your assets in the event that you are sued which means you are covered should any accident happen in relation to your pool, trampoline, or family pet.  If you do not have excess liability insurance in place, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us at 914-723-7100.