Home accidents
I help victims of everyday accidents, whether at home or at someone else’s, to obtain compensation.
- A fall, a burn, an electric shock, a near-drowning… An everyday accident can be compensated, even if nobody is to blame.
- There are two possible routes: your own insurance policy (often “personal accident cover”, garantie des accidents de la vie) and, if someone else is involved, that person’s liability.
- Policies set strict conditions and time limits: it is essential to check them without delay.
What kind of accidents are we talking about?
These are accidents that happen in your private life, for example:
- a fall down the stairs, from a ladder or on a slippery floor;
- a burn, an electric shock or poisoning;
- drowning or a swimming-pool accident;
- an animal bite;
- a DIY or gardening accident.
Who can compensate you?
Depending on the circumstances, your compensation may come from:
- your personal accident cover (garantie des accidents de la vie, GAV), taken out separately or as an option on your home insurance: it compensates you even if you alone caused the accident, within the limits set by the policy;
- the liability of someone else: the owner of an animal, the manufacturer of a defective product, the owner or manager of the premises, the host at whose home the accident happened… Their liability insurer must then compensate you.
Personal accident (GAV) policies often only pay out above a certain level of permanent impairment (the intervention threshold) and include caps. Read your general and specific terms carefully, or let me review them: the same situation can give rise to several sources of compensation.
How do I handle your case?
- I analyse your insurance policies and the circumstances of the accident to identify every possible route to compensation.
- I attend the medical examination arranged by the insurer with you, together with a victim’s medical adviser (médecin conseil de victime).
- I put a figure on all of your losses and negotiate the insurer’s offer.
- If no agreement can be reached, I take the matter to court to obtain a court-ordered medical examination and have your compensation set by the judge.
Have you been the victim of a home accident and would like support in Nice?
Practical guides
FAQ
When someone else is liable, all of your losses must be compensated: medical costs, lost income, help from another person, pain and suffering, permanent after-effects, disfigurement…
Under personal accident cover, compensation follows the heads of loss and caps set out in your policy.
The time limit is set by your policy; it cannot be shorter than 5 working days. Report the accident as soon as possible, in writing, and keep proof that you sent it.
Claims under your insurance policy are generally time-barred after 2 years. That time passes quickly, especially when your health takes a long time to stabilise: certain steps, such as a registered letter about the settlement of the claim, can interrupt it.
Against a third party who is liable, the time limit is generally 10 years from consolidation (the point at which your condition stabilises).
Yes, if a fault on their part, or something in their care (a floor, a staircase, an animal…), caused the accident. Their liability insurance, usually included in their home insurance, will then cover it.