An injury caused by a horse can leave victims with serious injuries and major medical bills. They may be able to seek support from an at-fault party, including the horse owner, a farm or stable owner, a horseback riding instructor, and others.

In some cases, there may be several parties that are financially liable for an accident. An important step after such a scary incident is to speak with a California personal injury lawyer to determine all sources of potential support as you recover. Maison Law offers all horse-injured injury victims a free case consultation that comes with zero obligation. Find out what your injury is worth and who should be helping you with hospital bills.

Who Provides Support After a Horseback Riding Accident in California?

Some of the best parts of living and visiting California are the amazing weather and the beautiful scenery. There are many perfect days for horseback riding.

From the coast, up into the mountains, a visit to a farm or a stable will form a lasting memory for any adult or child. But being on top of a large, fast, unpredictable animal carries some risk when we go out for horseback riding lessons or a trail riding trip.

After a frightening horse-involved accident, victims will have to see to their injuries first. Once they’ve stabilized, victims or their family members will likely have questions about who is responsible for the growing doctor bills.

An accident may leave either a property owner, a business owner, or an animal owner accountable. There are some other parties that could bear blame too:

• Horse owner
• Farm owner
• Stable owner
• Horseback riding business owners and operators
• Riding trainers
• Saddle, bridle, and other equipment manufacturers (if a piece of equipment fails and causes an injury)
• Other riders (if someone’s careless actions led to an accident for another rider)

Equestrianism carries some amazing highs, but also carries the chance for a major injury. It’s especially tragic when a visitor is allowed too close to the rear of a horse and receives a dangerous kick.

In some cases, the parties mentioned above are liable for any injuries involved. They’d have to provide support to help the victim pay for emergency room visits and further care. They’d have to provide money to help victims replace any income they lose while they can’t work.

But in some cases, farm owners and stable owners are excused from blame, depending on their level of negligence in what happened. We’ll explore the exceptions next, but it’s already clear that these cases can be complex. It’s a good idea to speak to an experienced lawyer if you or a loved one is hurt in a horse riding accident.

Reasons a Horse Stable Owner May Avoid Liability in an Accident

California doesn’t provide strong legal protection from stable operators. State laws generally make it easier for riders to file lawsuits if they are hurt by a horse.

Other states offer some legal safeguards to farm owners and others involved in equestrianism. An Equine Activity Liability Act (EALA) takes some of the responsibility off of stable owners, horse owners, and instructors for certain unavoidable accident risks involving the nature of horses. But California has no such broad laws.

Cases are treated as normal negligence matters. If an owner or operator could have done more to prevent an accident, then they may be forced to provide compensation to victims. It would be up to a skilled attorney to investigate an accident and gather evidence to show that an instructor or an owner could have taken action to prevent a scary incident.

Does Signing a Waiver Mean I Can’t Ask for Horse Injury Support?

Many stables and horse riding businesses try to protect themselves from litigation by having riders sign waiver agreements. However, a waiver isn’t a complete protection against all liability, and in some cases, victims can still demand support.

A waiver would provide similar protection for owners and operators as the Equine Activity Liability Act. It would excuse businesses from liability in cases involving some inherent risks of riding a horse. This might include a horse that injures someone after getting spooked or by those who are bucked off.

Yet, horse owners can find themselves liable if it’s shown they were grossly negligent in their care for customers and clients.

This negligence might include:

• Allowing someone on a horse that had hurt someone in the past.
• Ignoring a trail obstacle that ends up hurting someone, such as a fallen tree or a low branch.
• Providing faulty or untested equipment.
• An instructor mishandled a horse, leading to an accident.
• An instructor’s error in judgment led to an accident.

Your attorney would collect the evidence necessary to show how a horse trainer or stable owner neglected their duties to keep riders safe. Your attorney would then fight to make sure you received everything possible in a settlement. This is often much more than you could earn in a settlement by filing a claim yourself.

Support Available for Horse Accident Victims in California

Victims hurt in accidents at a horse stable, farm, or in an arena should ask that 100% of their medical bills be covered. That support should continue as long as the victim requires care and must deal with pain.

Child victims may need additional support for the future when their injuries may flare up at the wrong time during their development into adulthood. A broken bone suffered in their younger years can suddenly need surgery and affect the maturation process. Maison Law would demand extra support to cover any healthcare needed in the years to come.

Adult victims should be reimbursed for the paychecks they must forfeit while they can’t manage their job duties and support their families.

Hardships like the emotional trauma caused by a frightening horse-riding accident must receive support. The difficulties experienced during a long, difficult recovery process can also factor in.

Families who lose a loved one to a tragic horseback riding incident can also seek support. Through a wrongful death claim, victimized families can ask for help with burial costs and in paying remaining medical bills. Families would receive help in replacing any income the deceased had supported the family with. They’d seek support for the intense loss they’ll have to cope with in the future and the absence of companionship.

Contact a California Personal Injury Lawyer

If you or a loved one is hurt in a horseback riding accident, don’t count on insurance adjusters to treat you fairly. You’ll need to force them to be accountable even when you have strong evidence showing a property owner or a horse owner’s negligence.

Having an experienced attorney on your side safeguards your case and helps you get the most compensation for your injury. Contact Maison Law to schedule a free and confidential case consultation to find out what your case is worth.

There’s no charge and no obligation to find out more. And if you do decide we can help you earn more for your injury, you don’t have to worry about how you’ll pay to hire a lawyer. You don’t pay us a cent unless we win your case for you. Then our lawyer’s fee comes out of the settlement money the insurer must pay you.