What to Expect After a General Liability Incident

GENERAL LIABILITY CLAIM PROCESS. Your customer slips and falls - Offer assistance – Get customer’s contact information – Contact us – File Claim or File incident-only report.

Common general liability claims include slips, trips and falls at your facility or business and claims for allegedly defective or dangerous products. If an incident occurs, you should contact us as soon as possible, even if you do not plan to file a claim. There are many benefits to capturing and freezing the facts if the injured party decides to file a lawsuit at a later date. 

Here are steps to take if an incident occurs. 

1. Take care of the injured party. 

You should provide first aid or contact emergency medical responders, including police and/or fire professionals, as appropriate.

2. Gather all appropriate information. 

Document the facts surrounding the incident promptly, using the accident reporting form. Be sure to get the names of all involved parties and witnesses and individually record their accounts of the events.

  • Take and maintain photos and/or video of the incident, resulting injuries and any damage, if possible.
  • Store the documentation pertaining to the incident, including any photos and videos recording the incident, injuries and/or damage, in a secure place.

3. Contact Travelers or your agent. 

In many cases, just reporting the incident to us and creating a record can prevent lawsuits and avoidable claims. Timely reporting helps us to start working to resolve the issue and defend you proactively, should a claim arise. This can potentially save you time and money, avoid lengthy legal entanglements and help prevent fraud or damage to your reputation.

  • You can report a claim anytime online, by email at First.Report@travelers.com or by contacting us at 800.238.6225. (Note that if you are a new customer, online claim reporting is available 30 days from your policy effective date.)
  • In the event of an incident involving a fatality, fire or other catastrophic loss, please be sure to report immediately by phone at 800.238.6225.

4. Work with your Claim professional. 

Once the claim is submitted, you will receive a claim number and contact information for the Travelers Claim professional that will handle your claim.

  • A Claim professional will contact you to discuss your claim and will support you throughout the process.
  • If you have any questions or concerns at any point, contact your Travelers Claim professional directly or check your claim status online.

For additional information on general liability, click here. If you would like help preventing premises liability issues like slips, trips and falls, as well as safety risks like fires and assaults, visit our Prepare & Prevent page.

Related articles

Our insurance terms glossary provides simple explanations of common insurance terms.

Women working on computer

Travelers General Liability Insurance provides protection from a variety of claims, ranging from injuries on your property to product defect. Learn more.

general liability

File an insurance claim with Travelers.

Woman pointing at a laptop screen

Additional resources

A collection of materials designed to help you navigate the claim process.

Securely upload your documents and photos to your Claim professional.

Find out where you are in the claim process.