An attractive nuisance is anything on your property that might appeal to children or teens as a play area, and that also presents the risk of injury and a lawsuit. Many people are familiar with backyard staples like pools and trampolines as potential nuisances, but even a junk car can be a liability. Here’s what you need to know about keeping your property safe and figuring out what to do with an old vehicle.

Why Are Cars Considered a Nuisance?

An old junk car may seem like an eyesore to you, but young children are drawn to it. They could see the vehicle as a playground, and bring their friends to explore. They might be in danger of cutting themselves on rusting metal, getting locked inside the car, or falling off of it. If they are injured, you could be liable for a lawsuit. Federal, state, and local laws require property owners to be responsible for the safety of people on their property, regardless of whether those visitors were invited. 

Five conditions must be met for you to have a lawsuit on your hands. You must be aware that children are likely to trespass, and the nuisance must have the potential to cause death or serious bodily harm to children. Also, the children must be too young or inexperienced to understand the risk. The law requires that the benefit of maintaining the condition or cost to remedy it must be minimal compared with the risk to children. The final straw is if you failed to take all of the above measures.

How Can I Protect Myself?

The best way to protect yourself from an attractive nuisance is to remove it from your property. This will eliminate the chance of injury and an expensive lawsuit. The junk car sitting in your yard or driveway is easy to get rid of. There are no additional costs involved when you sell your junk car to a salvage yard, and they will pay you for it. This is more financially beneficial than putting up fences and danger warning signs, which would be required if you kept the nuisance on your property.

If you want to sell your junk car before an incident occurs, call Stewart’s Used Auto Parts in Barkhamsted, CT. This yard will haul your junk car away and pay you cash for it. They will take the entire car, so there’s no extra effort required from you. Learn more on their website and call (860) 379-7541 to schedule a junk car removal.