Here’s one for the irony column: an auto accident where a vehicle crashes through the front window… of an auto insurance agent’s office.
What the Heck Happened?
This really took place in Homewood, Alabama earlier this month. According to a blog distributed by Alabama Media Group, a van was trying to turn left across three lanes of traffic on U.S. Route 31. Cars in two of the lanes had reportedly stopped, but as the van began turning, a sport utility vehicle in the outside lane collided with the van and then careened into the front window of the insurance agency. Thankfully, no one was injured in the crash.
Putting aside the ironic facets of this event, a question emerges: who is going to pay for all of this?
Auto Insurance for Crash Into an Insurance Office
A lot depends on which vehicle is held accountable for causing the crash. If authorities believe that the SUV should have stopped and avoided the collision, then its driver may be held liable. But if it is determined that the left-turning van should have allowed all three lanes of traffic to clear before making the turn, the van’s driver may be held responsible. (At the spot where the accident occurred, there is no traffic signal, which would indicate that the van would have had to yield the right-of-way before turning left across traffic.)
Since there were no injuries, the person who caused the crash would only be liable for covering property damage. The auto insurance policy of the person at fault would pay for damages to the other vehicle and to the office under the liability coverage (the offending driver’s vehicle would only be covered if he or she had collision coverage).
Here’s an interesting fact: since the minimum amount of property damage liability insurance for drivers is $25,000 in Alabama, the chances are good that insurance could cover most or all of the damages incurred. But had this incident occurred in California, where the minimum liability amount for property damage coverage is only $5,000, the relevant insurance may not have covered everything — meaning that a lawsuit might have been necessary to collect whatever funds the insurance policy didn’t handle. (Moral of the story? Think about increasing your auto insurance property damage coverage.)
What About the Insurance Guy?
As for the insurance agent and his office: while his property damages should be reimbursed by the auto insurance policy of the offending driver, any interruption in business activities due to a wrecked office may also be due. So if the agent has to close his office for a week or more while the repairs are completed, any business that he loses would likely have to be covered by his own policy.
As you can see, insurance can sometimes be complicated as well as ironic. So if you’re looking to simplify matters when buying your next auto insurance policy, contact Auto Insurance Specialists. They’ll make it easy for you to get a policy that’s affordable for you and that also suits your needs. You can either buy online, over the phone or at any of the 20 AIS offices across California. If you prefer the third option, just be sure not to crash into the office’s front window.
Image credits #1, #2-#4: Valerio Berdini | liveon35mm.com, al.com
This content is offered for educational purposes only and does not represent contractual agreements. The definitions, terms, and coverages in a given policy may be different than those suggested here and such policy will be governed by the language contained therein. No warranty or appropriateness for a specific purpose is expressed or implied.
