I know it is a little FRIGHTENING to get two newsletters from me in one month (the other newsletters came out in
August and earlier in
October), but since none of this legal advice about Halloween safety will do you much good next week, herewith is a SPOOKY SPECIAL EDITION of LEGAL TRENDS.
First of all, follow these few
Halloween safety rules that we have compiled below to help make sure that worst thing to happen to the little ghouls around your neighborhood is a stomach ache from too much candy.
As a homeowner, so long as you take reasonable precautions, you should be legally fine in the event that some injury does occur. North Carolina law makes clear that a homeowner is NOT an insurer of a visitor's safety. Nonetheless, as
MSNBC reports, some "frightful scenarios" can take place, so be prepared. Your agent for homeowner's insurance will be happier, trust me.
Your agent will also be happy if you have a
smoke detector (and may even offer a discount). Keep in mind that most fire departments recommend that you replace the batteries every six months, so this weekend - when it's time to
FALL BACK and
set clocks back one hour -- is the perfect time to do just that.
And, if you are driving tomorrow evening, be extra cautious in neighborhoods. Why give some trial attorney like myself the opportunity to argue that what might be "safe driving" on a Sunday morning or Wednesday afternoon is NOT safe for the twilight hours of Halloween? (Here's a scary Halloween tale...
the case of the devilish driver who DID NOT SLOW DOWN on Halloween, and had his injury case thrown out because of it...OK, so it's more boring than scary, but it did take place on Halloween!)
