Case Study: What Happens When A Prank Goes Wrong And Somebody Is Injured?

What happens when a prank goes wrong and somebody is injured? Hi, I'm Chris Jacobs with the law firm Kalfus & Nachman. I'm a senior litigation attorney litigating cases in Virginia State and federal courts. I'm going to tell you a story about a fellow who was involved in a prank at a bar. He was an enlisted fellow in the Navy, and he moonlighted part-time. A bartender put liquor in his mouth and blew fire onto this man's leg and injured him terribly. It was only a prank, but I'm telling you this because sometimes pranks go wrong, and people wonder if there's coverage for this. There is. Whether it's at a business or at a home, when somebody plays a prank and it goes wrong, typically, one's homeowners or the business coverage covers that loss. This coverage is called general liability coverage.

Most businesses and most homeowners have it. They have it because pranks happen. Some are successful and some go terribly wrong, like this one where this gentleman was hospitalized for over a week and was discharged from the military because of the prank that went wrong. He called me. He called me because I answer difficult questions like this, and he asked me if there was coverage. I proved there was. I took this case to litigation all the way to court, and the court sided with my client. My client was able to get a substantial verdict to cover him for his losses of being discharged from the military, his medical losses, and his permanent disfigurement.

So why am I telling you this? General premises liability for businesses and for homeowners comes into play for many different accidents that happen at the home, whether it's a prank that goes wrong or whether it's somebody who falls in a hole on another's property. So if you ever find yourself in a similar situation, pick up the phone and call me, Chris Jacobs, a senior litigation attorney at Kalfus & Nachman. My number's (888) 487-8546. Thanks for watching.