BIZARRE INSURANCE CLAIMS

Have you ever been hit by a frozen rabbit while driving?

Has a rabid squirrel ever jumped into your bedroom window, stolen your glasses and made a break for it?

Has a naked pedestrian ever jumped on your car, leapt onto the roof, jumped up and down and then run away, never to be seen or heard from again?

That’s what some insurance policyholders are saying.  These people will do just about anything for money, including filing strange insurance claims.

When real disaster occurs, insurance provides a vital and necessary lifeline that helps policyholders regain their footing and start life over.  But sometimes freak occurrences of nature happen so unbelievable that convincing the insurance company claims are viable becomes rather challenging.

Take the gardener who, while buying plants at a local nursery, exited the store just in time to see a passing camel kick and damage his car.  Fortunately for him, there was a local television crew that just happened to be in the area filming nearby and accidentally caught the camel red-footed on tape-corroborating the man’s story for his insurer.

Another woman filed with her insurance company, claiming she hit the car in front of her because it “barked suddenly.”  Apparently, the other driver’s dog, riding in the rear window of the car, had decided to “speak” loudly, startling the driver behind and causing the collision.  Who needs a horn with barking cars?

In another case, a man approached his car following a fishing expedition and saw a cow chewing on something long and black.  As he came closer, he realized it was his windshield wiper, which contained salt deposits from a long weekend at the coast.  Upon closer inspection, he discovered the cow had actually licked his vehicle from bumper to bumper, ruining every bit of rubber along the way.  “Cows like salt,” the man explained.  “They saw it as a huge salt lick!”  Wonder what the insurance company thought about that one?

Insurers say they’re constantly amazed at some of the bizarre situations for which policyholders file claims, ranging from the serious to the downright outrageous.

One bumbling burglar robbed a house and, in the process, accidentally locked himself in the garage.  Because the garage door opener was broken, and the homeowners were away on vacation, he was stuck there for more than a week and forced to survive on the dog food and soda stored inside.  When he was finally released from his prison, the man got away, then filed and won an insurance claim against the owner for undue mental anguish.  The sad part is, he actually won, and the insurance company paid a cool half million.  How does that work?

A Pennsylvania woman received a six-figure insurance judgment after claiming she fell in a puddle of soda and cracked her tailbone.  What she failed to mention to her insurer was that she had thrown the drink at someone else earlier in the evening.  It landed on the floor in the same spot where she later slipped and fell.

Here’s one that should win the Darwin award.  This guy won more than $14,000 plus medical expenses on a dog bite insurance claim against his neighbor.  He was hanging in the neighbor’s yard at the time the beagle attacked him and got chomped after repeatedly firing a pellet gun at the dog. 

A lady sued a night club after she fell through a window and broke some teeth, winning a claim of more than $12,000.  What did she fail to mention to the insurer?  She was too cheap to pay a cover charge to get into the club, so she was trying to sneak in. 

Though sometimes hard to believe, incredible insurance claims like these illustrate the fact that almost anything can happen to anyone at any time, making insurance necessary for all.

Who’s to say which claims are real and which ones aren’t?  That’s why the claims process seems to take so long.

If you’re looking for a way to make money in tough times, we don’t recommend filing a claim as the route to riches.  Oh, but do look out for those licking cows, frozen bunnies, and naked people!