Careful as you are, accidents happen. Say one of your crew accidentally wrecks a customer’s sprinkler system, or destroys a neighbor’s fence? Or a client trips over your power cable and hurts themselves? You could end up facing a lawsuit.
And it’s not just injury to a customer or damage to their property you have to worry about either. You can be sued for slander. All it takes is a not-so-nice comment you made about a client getting back to them and, boom:
‘You’ve been served.’
They’re words nobody wants to hear. Being sued is no joke. It’s one of the most stressful things you’ll ever have to cope with.
You need help
Once you’ve gotten over the shock of having those papers shoved into your hands, you’re in for some sleepless nights. What if you’re found liable? How much will you have to pay in damages? Will it put you out of business? And if it doesn’t, will your reputation be ruined?
Even if you’ve been wrongfully charged and the claim is groundless – you’ll still have to defend yourself. But don’t even think about representing yourself in court. When your business and reputation are at stake, you need an expert.
Why? Because experienced lawyers know the lawsuit game better than you do. Their job is not just to protect your legal rights. It’s to keep you from saying or doing things that could harm your defense – like admitting you’re in the wrong, for example.
If you’ve never been sued before, a lot of stress comes from not knowing how the legal process works. You’ll need to know the time limits involved and what the paperwork will consist of. You’ll also need to understand your options. Is it better to settle out of court, or go to trial? Lawyers can talk you through all this. The more you know, the better you’ll cope.
Counting the cost
How much will an attorney cost you? Well, they don’t come cheap. If the case drags on you could be looking at five or six figures.
How will you afford that? Dig into your pension or savings? Release equity in your home? Borrow the money from the bank, from your family or friends?
What if we told you there’s a way to protect yourself from all that stress? And that all it takes is a few clicks of a mouse, or a single phone call?
We’ve got this covered
For as little as $500, landscapers’ general liability insurance doesn’t just cover you for injury to a client or damage to their property. It covers personal injury too. If you’re sued – even if you’re not at fault or the lawsuit is groundless – the carrier will hire an attorney to defend you.
Then all you have to do is tell the lawyer the facts – after all, no-one knows better than you, and the person suing you, what actually happened. You’ll also need to give them as much printed evidence as you can. That means emails, letters, quotes, contracts and photos. Because it’s not the arguments alone in court that win cases. It’s proof.
Sure, when you’re facing a lawsuit you’ll need emotional support from your family and friends, maybe even therapy, to help get you through. But if you’re served and you have general liability insurance, you won’t panic and freak out. You’ll keep calm and call your carrier.
For more about general liability insurance for landscaping & lawn care businesses, check out InsuranceBee’s policies.
general liability insurancelandscapers and lawncare coverage