You went to an axe-throwing bar for a bachelor party and got hooked. Instead of paying $30 an hour, you decide to build a massive, professional-grade wooden target in your backyard. You buy a set of throwing tomahawks and start inviting friends over for weekend barbecues and bullseyes.
One Saturday afternoon, you are inside grabbing beers when the neighbor’s 10-year-old kid hops your fence to retrieve a lost baseball. The kid sees the shiny axes left on the picnic table, decides to try a throw, and severely lacerates his leg. His parents sue you for the massive emergency room bills. You call your homeowners insurance to file a liability claim. The adjuster takes the claim, but flags your account for an immediate underwriter review.
The Brutal Truth: Why Standard Policies Deny This Claim
If you didn’t charge money, your standard HO-3 Policy will likely cover the bodily injury under Coverage E (Personal Liability), because homeowners insurance generally covers stupid accidents. But your relief will be short-lived, because the carrier is going to invoke the Increased Hazard Clause.
Insurance companies hate uncontrolled risk. When you built a permanent axe-throwing range in your yard without a locked fence, you created an Attractive Nuisance (a dangerous condition likely to attract children). Because you materially altered the risk profile of your property without notifying the carrier, the underwriter has every right to issue a Notice of Cancellation. They will pay the kid’s medical bills, but they will drop your policy in 30 days, blacklisting you from standard carriers and forcing you into high-risk, ultra-expensive insurance pools.
How to Actually Protect Yourself (The Fix)
You cannot turn a suburban backyard into a medieval weaponry range without taking serious liability precautions.
- Erect a 6-Foot Privacy Fence with Locks: To defeat the “Attractive Nuisance” doctrine, you must secure the perimeter. A high fence with a padlock proves you took reasonable steps to keep uninvited children out of the danger zone.
- Never Leave Weapons Unattended: Treat throwing axes like firearms. Lock them inside a shed or garage the second you are done using them. Leaving them out is considered gross negligence.
- Buy a Personal Umbrella Policy (PUP): Axe wounds are catastrophic injuries. If a friend gets drunk at your BBQ and buries an axe in their foot, a standard $300,000 liability limit won’t cover the surgeries. Stack a $1 Million Umbrella policy on top of your homeowners.
The Claims Adjuster’s Secret
We have eyes in the sky. Carriers now routinely use high-resolution drone imagery and satellite services (like Nearmap) to inspect properties before renewal. If our algorithms detect a massive wooden structure resembling a target range in your backyard, or a trampoline without a net, the underwriter will send you a non-renewal letter before an accident ever happens.
The Verdict (TL;DR)
The Risk Level: Extremely High (Sharp objects, alcohol, and open access equal massive liability). The Solution: Secure the yard with a locked fence, store weapons indoors, and buy a Personal Umbrella Policy. Estimated Cost: $150 to $300 annually for an Umbrella policy.
Having a cool backyard isn’t worth a cancelled policy and a lawsuit; lock up the axes when the party is over.