10 hilarious insurance claims

By Candy Wright

Accidents on the road happen all the time; one of your first steps when you do have an accident is to obtain all of the other driver’s information, for example their phone number and insurance details.

Another thing you need to do when you have had an accident is contact your insurance company and put in a claim. Letting your insurance company know exactly what has happened is important; however, some people have attempted to make some absolutely ridiculous, yet hilarious, insurance claims. Here are 10 of the funniest insurance claims.

1. The pedestrian got hit by the car in front and he was then hit again, by me, when he got up – that was an unlucky day for that pedestrian.
2. I was not aware that the speed limit was in affect after midnight – so when did you think it was in affect?
3. When the car in front of me stopped at the red light, hitting him was my only option – stopping would have been a fairly good option too.
4. I hit a pedestrian to avoid hitting the car in front of me – they were the only two options?
5. When I put my head through the window, I then realised it was in fact closed – ouchhh!
6. I collided with a bus when I left for work; the bus was early by five minutes – So, because the bus was 5 minutes early, you don’t have to look for any oncoming vehicles?
7. In an attempt to kill the fly in my car, I crashed into a telephone pole – surely there was an easier way to kill the fly.
8. The other car crashed into me without any warning – you make it sound like he intended to do it!
9. Neither party is really to blame for the collision; however, if the other driver was more aware, then the collision would never have occurred – so really, it was the other driver’s fault.
10.  A pedestrian went underneath my car after he hit me – I think we should hear the pedestrian’s side of the story.

These are just 10 of the best and most hilarious insurance claims; there are so many more that are really just plain stupid. They do give us a good laugh though! Just remember, that if you ever have to make a claim, you should make sure it is completely understandable to avoid any potential misunderstandings. Also, by making a sensible claim, you can avoid having your claim published in an article like this!

About the Author: Candy Wright enjoys writing about anything lifestyle related, including insurance claims. You never know what is going to happen on the road, so you should always be prepared; one preparation Candy suggests you should make is writing a will, so contact FB Wills Direct just to ensure the best for your family.

Guide to Accident Insurance for Individuals

Accident insurance can include anything from pet accidents to transportation costs on body parts in the event of an accident while flying. While some of the risks associated with accident insurance are minimal, in other cases the risk may be greater.

Assessing the risk of accident in one's life, activities or work is an important step in deciding if and which type of accident insurance is necessary. This article will illustrate the types of accident insurance available and then discuss when it might be a good time to purchase a specific type of accident insurance.

Types of Accident Insurance:

There are many types of accidental insurance available. Each type covers a specific activity or event. Since different individuals may be exposed to different risks, not every type of accident insurance may be necessary. For example, a hang glider may consider sports accident insurance while a professional chess player may not. A few of the different types of accident insurance available are as follows:

• Sports and Recreation accident insurance
• Travel insurance
• Flight accidental insurance
• Personal accident insurance
• Occupational accident insurance
• Pet accident Insurance

When to Buy Accident Insurance:

Accident insurance can be purchased for limited time periods when one is more at risk of certain accidents or when traditional insurance policies don't cover specific activities. For example, if one is employed in a job that involves a specific type of risk such as drowning, accident insurance may be available through the employer or private company to cover accidents associated with that job. Knowing what one's risks are, and how long one will be exposed to those risks is an important factor in the decision to purchase accident insurance.

Accidental Insurance Costs:

The cost of accident insurance is generally quite low unless the risk which the insurance covers is very high. Typical premiums for many types of accident insurance range from a few dollars per month to the tens of dollars per month. In some cases deductibles are applied upon redemption of accident insurance claims, but these deductibles may only be a small fraction of the maximum coverage amount.

Some companies may include some types of accident coverage within other insurance plans or the insurance may be a standard feature in a purchase such as a car rental. In such cases, reading one's existing insurance policies to determine what one is covered for already may save money when traveling or considering accident insurance one may not otherwise need.

Where to Find Accident Insurance:

Accident insurance may be available through one's existing insurance provider, employers, private health insurance companies or private companies that deal with more unique types of accident insurance.

Contacting well known and credible insurance providers may be a good way to obtain additional quotes and information, however researching other companies via telephone inquiry and Internet research may also prove beneficial. For additional questions about misleading advertising, understanding insurance contracts, recent legal developments etc., one might consider contact insurance regulators and watchdogs such as the following:

• National Association of Insurance Commissioners
• State Insurance regulators
• Federal Trade Commission
• Departments of Consumer affairs at the State level

In summary, accident insurance is a specific type of insurance that individuals may pursue to protect themselves and/or their loved ones in the event of accidents causing damage to property or self in certain circumstances.

The types of circumstances and events in which certain accidents may occur are many, and there are also several types of accident insurance tailored for such accidents. Some companies may offer a wide range of accident coverage within a single policy whereas other may not. This article has presented which types of insurance may be useful, when accident insurance might be worth considering and how to go about obtaining ancient insurance.

How to Assess if Your Car Insurance Provides Adequate Coverage

The legal minimum insurance coverage requirements in the United States are determined on a State by State according to the Insurance Information Institute. For example, in some states, damages may be paid regardless of who is at fault in an auto accident; these are no-fault states. Assessing if your auto insurance provides adequate coverage is consequently assisted by knowing your state's insurance laws. Some additional items to consider when evaluating how much car insurance coverage is adequate are listed below.

• Vehicle value(s)
• Bodily injury self, passengers, other motorists
• Non-vehicle property liability
• Natural hazard liability

Minimum State auto insurance requirements

Your State's Department of Insurance is a valuable consumer resource for assessing legal auto insurance requirements and personal auto insurance decisions. Legal requirements are the minimum amount of insurance car drivers are required to have. In some States only limited liability auto insurance is required whereas in other States liability and personal injury auto insurance are required.

This U.S. auto insurance requirements map illustrates what insurance must be purchased for vehicles registered in the corresponding States. In addition to minimum auto insurance requirements, personal factors such as vehicle value, regional auto values, fault Vs no fault States, and anticipated medical costs, and budget can be included in determining whether or not your car insurance provides adequate coverage.

Probability, Personal Preference and Insurance coverage capability

Assessing the probability of such an event and balancing that with your personal auto insurance preferences and coverage capability is part of the function of assessing your car insurance coverage needs. For example, in your neighborhood, town or region vehicle values may average a dollar value different than in other areas. In such case, acquiring insurance for exorbitant liability amounts may be impractical or unnecessary. Statistical information pertaining to auto claims can be found to aid you with your car insurance coverage decision, the Insurance Information Institute being one such source of information.

Vehicle value(s) and Bodily Injury

Your vehicle may be a brand new luxury model or a used model that has attained a value lower than the insurance deductible for the cost of damage. Depending on the type of vehicle you drive, you may or may not want to have personal vehicle insurance coverage in excess of minimum liability requirements. Bodily injury involves your and other people's lives and not their property and is more valuable in the eyes of auto insurers. The out of pocket expenses for bodily injury can be massive, making bodily injury coverage a valid consideration.

To further illustrate bodily injury likelihood, according to the National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA), over 16 thousand auto fatalities are estimated to have occurred in the first of half of 2009 alone. This does not include the million of accident involving some form of bodily injury that occur each year. Keeping this in mind, the probability of bodily injury is relatively high and thus may be a conscionable factor in your insurance coverage decision.

Real estate, public property and other liability

In some cases your vehicle may be damaged or destroyed from reasons other than collision such as natural hazard or vandalism. Your automobile may also be stolen or damage public or private property. In such cases a type of insurance coverage called comprehensive coverage may be purchased. This type of auto insurance coverage costs extra, but you may want to consider it more of a necessity if one or more of the following:

• Your vehicle model is among top 10 most stolen vehicles
• Vandalism and crime is high in your neighborhood and/or city
• Lightening strikes, earthquakes and tornados are common in your locale
• Road conditions near and around your residence are potentially destructive

Additionally, since not every auto owner and driver has the same kind of insurance, you may still be required to pay for damages inflicted on a person, persons or vehicle(s) not fully covered by insurance even if you are not at fault in an auto accident. This type of liability is covered by uninsured motorist vehicle and bodily injury insurance coverage. In some States uninsured motorist insurance is a requirement up to a certain dollar amount, however in other States this type of insurance is optional.

Summary

Researching your States insurance requirements, and assessing your own insurance needs through weighing probability with cost and preference and then consulting with an insurance agent can all help you assess if your car insurance provides adequate coverage. In the car insurance assessment some of the more important factors to consider are bodily injury, State laws, vehicle age and value and coverage amounts.

The more coverage and the lower the deductible for the coverage, the greater the insurance premium can be. As will all insurance, assessing adequate coverage is somewhat a personal decision beyond legal requirements, but this personal decision may be more informed after understanding the auto insurance variables discusses in this article.