Super illegal. Whoever gets injured can sue the bejesus outta you, and they're pretty much guaranteed to win regardless of what they were doing, and if they die, you'll likely get charged with at least manslaughter.
ETA: the chief aim is to protect first responders, public service workers, snoopy children, etc. Any of them are far more likely to get caught by some random trap than a dedicated thief.
No. Signs do nothing in the dark and there's a million reasons why intentionally harmful booby traps are a problem otherwise.
Drunk person wanders in. Child who can't read. Mentally not entirely there person. First responder rushing in to help, be it a fire or medical call. Police called in for a domestic abuse call. Family members visiting, or their friends visiting, who haven't seen the notice. Someone coming in after you die, doing a wellness check or clearing out the property.
We don't let burglars sue because they deserve it. We let them sue because there has to be concrete punishment for booby trapping things or people will do it frequently.
If it was a valid defense that the person was a burglar, people would assume that there were legit uses for it, but the danger is too big and you don't live forever. You can shoot someone who is threatening you or you have reasonable case for standing your ground. A booby trap can't discriminate who it hurts.
361
u/BecomingJudasnMyMind 7d ago
Isn't booby trapping against the law?