Entertaining your teen’s friends in your home can be a great way to keep a close eye on your child. You get to be the fun parent that allows your teen a place to party with their friends. Now, while it sounds like an ideal option to keep your kid home on the weekends, there are some serious liabilities that you face when your home is opened up to partying teens. As a responsible parent, entertaining teens can be easy, fun, and safe, but is important to remember that anytime you have people on your property there is potential liability. Teens create a special liability because the law expects adults to maintain a reasonably safe environment with some level of supervision.
Drunk-Driving Accomplice
One of the things people forget about personal liability is that your responsibility might not end when a partygoer leaves. If a teen has been drinking at your home, especially if you provided the alcohol, whether or not it was meant for their consumption, and they injure someone while driving home, you could be held liable for the damages to both parties. The law would consider you a “social host,” and therefore, you could be considered liable. You can avoid this issue by ensuring that you have no alcohol in your home if you are going to entertain teenagers. There have been cases where a parent, trying to be “cool,” provides the drinks for a teen party and ends up facing financial liability and prison time for being a party to a drunk-driving accident.
Let’s Get Ready to Rumble
Some teen parties end with people fighting. Teens are notorious for their drama and jealousy. If a fight happens in your home, and someone ends up injured, the law might hold you financially accountable. According to www.personalinjurylawyersny.net, if a court finds that you should have provided more supervision, you could have a personal injury judgment on your hands. This can cause your insurance rates to increases substantially. It is best that you be there so you can quell any confrontations before they get dangerous.
Accidental Injuries
Parties are meant to be a good time. Swimming pools and playground equipment can enhance a party, but they also enhance your personal liability. Now, the law does not expect any party host to be 100% responsible for the behavior of their party guests. However, when teenagers are involved, the law does expect there to be an appropriate level of supervision.
What is an appropriate level of supervision? Well, that all depends. If the teens are older, such as 18 or 19, the level of supervision can be minimal. These are adults, and the law expects them to use ordinary care in their lives. If they are 13-17 years old, however, it is best to use caution and provide full supervision while they are in your home.
Personal liability should not stop you from having parties if that is what you enjoy. However, some simple precautions can save you a lot of financial and legal trouble. Be aware of who is there and keep the party size to a minimum. If there are troublemakers, get them off your property. You can entertain, have fun, and protect yourself all at the same time.
Anthony Joseph is a contributing author for www.personalinjurylawyersny.net, a site which provides information to injured victims who have been in accidents. You can have access to personal injury attorneys and legal professionals in the New York area, and receive information needed to pursue compensation for your injuries.