10 Claims You Didn’t Know Existed
When we ask people about Umbrella policies, they almost never know what we’re talking about. The thing about Umbrella policies is that they cover a TON of intriguing and unusual scenarios. For your own amusement, we’ve provided some surprising claim examples that are 100% REAL.
Example 1: A babysitter left a 5 month old infant unattended in a walker. The infant toppled the walker, struck her head on the floor, and suffered brain damage. The parents of the infant sued the teenage babysitter AND her parents. The court awarded the infant’s parents $11,000,000.
Example 2: An insured’s daughter hated math class as well as the teacher. The daughter made several disparaging and false remarks about her teacher online. The teacher sued the parents for personal injury and $750,000 was paid.
Example 3: The insured’s 18 year old son was driving the insured’s car on a short trip to the store with his girlfriend. He lost control of the car and struck a tree. The insured’s son told the police that a vehicle cut him off, but there were no witnesses and no evidence of any impact with another car. His girlfriend, a 19 year old college student, was hospitalized for over a month with multiple fractures and internal injuries. She was in a wheelchair but is now able to walk with crutches and continues with physical therapy. She has a right drop foot as a result of the injuries. The insured’s personal umbrella policy limit was paid.
Example 4: A 28 year old engineer dove into a friend’s above ground swimming pool, struck his head on the bottom and, as a result became a quadriplegic. He sued both the homeowner and the pool manufacturer. The court found the homeowner to be 60% responsible and the pool manufacture to be 40% responsible, and awarded $10,000,000.
Example 5: The insured’s tenant claims she became ill from carbon monoxide poisoning resulting from a faulty furnace. The tenant claimed permanent brain damage and demanded $750,000.
Example 6: A teenager, who was destined for greatness as a softball player, filed a $700,000 lawsuit against her former coach, alleging his “incorrect” teaching style ruined her chances for an athletic scholarship.
Example 7: A hillside on the insured’s property was covered with concrete to prevent erosion. The concrete had been installed before the insured purchased the property. Approximately 5 feet of the concrete fell to the neighboring property knocking the claimant’s home from its foundation. The resulting claim was settled for $970,000.
Example 8: The insured permitted several of her children and their friends to play paintball in her large back yard. The children were experienced and advised of all the safety rules including the use of headgear at all times. A participant removed her headgear as she was leaving the field in order to better hear someone calling her name. The minor claimant was his in the eye resulting in a $475,000 settlement.
Example 9: The insured hosted a beach party for their daughter. One of the attendees found what was believed to be an empty and discarded propane tank. The tank was thrown into a beach bonfire and subsequently exploded resulting in severe injuries to several guests. A $20,000,000 claim was filed alleging the insured failed to properly supervise the party.
Example 10: A couple hosted a party for their teenage children. They did not provide any alcohol, but it was brought by some of the guests and was available. After leaving the party, one of the guests was severely injured in an auto accident, and the injury was attributed to his consumption of alcohol. This case went to the State Supreme Court which decided that anyone who sells or furnishes alcohol to a minor is responsible for the minor’s injuries as well as any injuries caused by the minor. The opinion of the court was that the homeowners should have prevented the consumption of alcohol by minors on their premises. Both the homeowners and personal umbrella policies responded to this claim.
After reading through these different scenarios you’re probably slightly shocked and what some of these people have gotten sued for and who was truly at fault for the situations. Most of these sound “totally unfair”. These are EXACTLY why it’s so important to have an umbrella policy.
Umbrella Policy: An umbrella policy is an excess liability policy. This means that it offers additional coverage for property you already have covered. So in the case of a lawsuit, if the underlying policy’s liability coverage is exhausted, the umbrella coverage will kick in. Umbrella coverage often includes a wider array of scenarios as well. Umbrella policies can be purchased by the million. So you can have a $1 million, $2 million or $3 million. You can sometimes go even higher with this coverage as well.
Umbrella policies are usually about $20-$25 per month and can add a multi policy discount onto your underlying policies as well so if you’re interested in getting a quote for this then be sure to give us a call!
616-897-1515.
