Extreme weather conditions made worse by climate change cause more injuries and accidents. It also leads to a rise in personal injury claims. These claims often involve those responsible for property safety, including businesses and government agencies.
If there are more severe weather events like storms, floods, heatwaves, or even wildfires happening frequently, personal injury cases will continue to increase.
To learn more about extreme weather with climate changes and its impact on personal injury claims, let us take a closer look!
How do extreme weather events and climate changes increase personal injury claims?
To understand how exactly extreme weather events and climate change cause an increase in personal injury claims, take a look at the pointers shared below:
1. More accidents due to hazardous conditions
Intense storms and heavy rainfall create dangerous roads, causing more car accidents and injuries. Slick or flooded roads make driving tricky, which leads to more chances of an accident. Moreover, if the hazardous conditions include snowstorms or icy roads, weather-related car accidents tend to rise in numbers.
2. New types of injuries
Climate change has also brought new kinds of injuries. For example, extreme heat waves can lead to heatstroke or even severe dehydration. The smoke released from the wildfires can cause respiratory issues, which can be severe for those with existing health conditions. These injuries add to the types of claims being made due to extreme weather.
3. Workplace injuries
Outdoor workers, such as construction workers or agricultural laborers, are always at high risk of getting injuries. Extreme heat can also cause illness related to heat. On the other hand, solid storms and or wildfires bring direct physical dangers. It leads to a rise in workers’ compensation claims for personal injuries, which mainly includes outdoor workers who get injured due to extreme weather.
4. Property damage leading to injuries
Strong winds, heavy rains, or flooding can damage buildings and infrastructure, causing dangers such as falling debris or collapsing structures. When buildings aren’t appropriately maintained to handle extreme weather, injuries may occur. It leads to claims against property owners or management companies of the outdoor workers.
5. Complex legal issues in determining liability
Determining who is responsible for injuries during extreme weather events can be difficult. Some legal questions might arise about whether property owners took enough precautions, installed effective alert systems, or kept the people working safe. These legal issues make it harder to determine the responsibility of the matter but open up more potential injury claims.
Examples of personal injury claims due to extreme weather events and climate change –
Here are a few examples that will help you understand the personal injury claims due to extreme weather:
- Car crashes happen more often during heavy rain or snowy weather.
- Tree branches falling during strong windstorms can injure people walking nearby.
- Extreme heat leads to suffering through physical dangers like heatstrokes, dehydration, or even skin burns.
- The smoke that is released from wildfires can cause respiratory issues for residents living in nearby areas.
- People can get seriously hurt while trying to leave their houses during floods or even leaving their flooded homes.
How do extreme weather events and climate change impact insurance companies?
The following are examples of how extreme weather events and climate change can impact insurance companies:
1. Increase in the number of claim payouts
With more personal injury claims due to extreme weather, insurance companies must pay out more. For insurance companies, extreme weather brings more significant strain with the higher number of payouts.
2. Risk assessment changes
Insurers evaluate the risks tied to climate change, adjusting their premium plans and policies to manage the vast number of weather-related injury claims.
3. Emerging implications in legalities
When climate change keeps happening, the a rise in lawsuits against companies that cause pollution or natural hazards. People argue that these companies are partially responsible for the increased risk of sudden extreme weather and climate change.
