Strange Insurance Claims

Weird Insurance Claims: Licking Cows, Naked People and More

Have you ever been hit by a frozen squirrel while driving?
Has a rabid magpie ever flown in your bedroom window, stolen your spectacles and made a break for it, glasses in beak?
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?
So say some insurance policyholders, who will do just about anything for money—including filing strange insurance claims.
Animal 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 unbelievably that convincing the insurance company claims are viable becomes rather challenging.
Take the gardener who, buying plants at a local nursery, exited the store just in time to see a passing camel kick and damage his car. (That was random!)
While the man was trying to explain the situation to his insurance company, a local television crew just happened to be in the area filming nearby and accidentally caught the camel footage on camera—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 when there are 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 further inspection, it was discovered the cow had licked his vehicle from bumper to bumper, ruining every bit of rubber along the way.
"Cows like salt," the man later explained. "They saw the vehicle as a huge salt lick!"
Wonder what the insurance company thought about that one?
Bumbling Burglars—and Sore Losers
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 finally released from his prison, the man got away, then filed—and won—an insurance claim against the owner for undue mental anguish.
The payout? A cool half million.
A??Pennsylvania woman received a six-figure insurance judgment after claiming she fell in a puddle of soda and cracked her tailbone.
What didn't she tell her insurer? 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.
The Weird, Wild and Wonderful
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.
Though who's to say which claims are real—and which ones aren't?
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 squirrels and naked people!