Aviva Reveals The Craziest Car Insurance Claims Of 2019

Car insurance is something you buy just in case, but hope you never have to use. Most of us don’t want anything to happen to our precious vehicles, or worse to the people riding inside of them, but accidents do happen. Aviva Canada handles thousands of car and property insurance claims each year, and recently it disclosed some non-identifying details of some of the craziest incidents.

The first crazy car insurance claim has a nice ending. A man parked his truck at a hotel and came out to find it gone. It’s a sinking feeling to realize someone has stolen from you, especially something you need so desperately. After calling a friend for a ride, the man called while riding in his friend’s car, filing the claim by phone. During that call the man spotted his truck on the road, his friend followed and called police, and the suspect was apprehended. After a post-incident inspection, it was determined the vehicle wasn’t damaged, which was a lucky break.

Collectors often spend big bucks on fire suppression systems where they store their classic car stash, but that doesn’t always prevent incidents. Aviva says a customer lost all 36 classic cars stored in a building to a raging fire, which is a devastating loss. We don’t know the details of what happened, but the insurance company paid out for damages to the vehicles, which is what you would hope for in such a situation. The customer kept the burned-out cars as a memorial to his old collection and has plans to make a mini museum on his property.

A lot of people have had scary incidents with animals while driving, like a deer darting in front of your car with only inches to spare, making your heart stop. An Aviva customer had an even more startling experience while renting a vehicle in Mexico. After getting in a minor accident, the customer lifted the hood to inspect for damage, finding a large snake curled around the engine. That’s far worse than finding squirrels have used your classic Opel GT as a nest while it sat for years.

While nobody likes filing an insurance claim, you hope your coverage will be enough if your classic car is involved in an incident, whether you have a Ford or a Ferrari.