Trick or Treat: Ghosts and Goblins Aren’t The Only Things to Think About on Halloween

Cinnaminson, NJ October 26, 2012 - 

Trick or treating is a time honored tradition each October 31. But before you open your doors to the witches and superheroes that live on your block, you should take precautions to make your property as safe as possible for potential trick-or-treaters. 

Allstate Insurance Company, parent corporation of Allstate New Jersey Insurance Company (Allstate New Jersey) of Bridgewater, recommends that homeowners take the following steps to help ensure a safe Halloween for everyone:

• Check your Outdoor Lighting: Make sure your property is adequately lit before trick-or-treaters arrive.
• Inspect Your Property: Make sure the path to your door is safe. Look for cracks in the sidewalk and loose stair railings. Remove any obstacles that can lead to a trip or fall.
• Watch the Decorations: Make sure Halloween decorations are not obscuring walkways and causing hazards. Use artificial lighting instead of candles to reduce the risk of fire-related accidents. If you do use candles, make sure you extinguish them before going to bed.
• Drive Carefully: With nearly 25 million families participating in trick-or-treating each year, neighborhood streets are going to be crowded. Use extra caution while driving and if you are planning to drive, steer clear of alcohol.
• Keep Your Pets Inside: Even if your dog enjoys the parade of children that arrives on your doorstep each year, the neighborhood children may not enjoy meeting your family pet.

“Homeowners need to realize they can be held liable should a trick-or-treater be injured on their property,” says Charles Horta of Cinnaminson, an Exclusive Agent with Allstate New Jersey. “Each October we invite all of the neighborhood children onto our property and drive on crowded neighborhood streets. We need to be extra vigilant about safety during this time and we also need to make sure we have the right amount of insurance protection.”

Charles also recommends that all homeowners contact their insurance agent before Halloween and make sure they are adequately covered in the event someone is injured on their property. While a homeowners policy provides a level of liability protection, it may not be sufficient protection if injuries are severe. A personal umbrella policy works with the homeowners liability coverage and provides additional protection.

Additional benefits include:

• You will not have to face court alone. If you are sued over an incident covered under your personal umbrella policy, Allstate will retain and pay for an attorney to represent you in court.
• Your coverage goes everywhere. So, you are covered no matter where you are, including outside the U.S.
• Helps with gaps in your coverage. Homeowners and auto policies do not cover certain types of incidents, like those alleging slander. But a personal umbrella policy helps provide protection for this kind of incident as well as others.
• Allstate pays on your behalf. In the event of a covered claim, you will not have to pay out of your own pocket first and submit for reimbursement.
• Reimbursement for lost wages. You will be reimbursed for the wages lost for your absence from work for a court appearance, up to the limits specified for this benefit in the policy.

Allstate offers a range of personal umbrella coverage amounts in $1 million increments. You may qualify for up to a maximum coverage amount of $5 million.

To determine how much coverage is right for your needs, please contact Charles Horta at 856-303-2230.