Okay, we know that people sometimes make insurance claims for some truly bizarre reasons, but these are more bizarre than most. Since this is Halloween week, we’ve decided to share them with you:
- Shooting a Monkey: There’s no doubt that law enforcement work is a high-stress job, but even police officers can take emotional duress claims beyond what most people would consider reasonable. Officer Frank Chiafari made such a claim after a case that involved a chimpanzee that had gone on a rampage, leaving at least one person with serious injuries. When the chimp attempted to get hinto his car, he shot it. He later filed a workers compensation insurance claim because of the stress caused by the situation, but was denied because he hadn’t shot an actual human being.
- Nose Broken While Gawking: Okay, we know that Greece is a popular destination for bikini clad tourists, especially in summer, but check this out: while on vacation in Athens, a man was so distracted by ogling a group of nubile young women in bathing suits that he walked into a bust stop shelter, hitting it so hard that he broke his nose. He went to the hospital, and yes, his insurance company did pay for it.
- Half-Baked Hair:A man vacationing with his daughter filed a claim with his travel insurance company for the cost of the girl’s haircut. She had, he claimed, singed her hair in the oven, making the new do a necessity, but the do was apparently a serious don’t. The insurance company didn’t agree with his notion that they should pay for the cut. Maybe he should have tried suing the oven manufacturer instead?
- Sinking Your Teeth Into It: A man on a cruise found out the hard way just how bad seasickness can be when his dentures went overboard while the ship was in rough waters in the Bay of Biscay. He had leaned over the side to void his upset stomach, and his false teeth went along for the ride. Fortunately, his travel insurance company agreed that that the diving dentures counted as “lost luggage.”
- Alien Abduction: While most of us believe that alien abduction is limited to television and movies, there’s actually a thriving market for alien abduction insurance. One company offering such coverage is Goodfellow Rebecca Ingrams Pearson (GRIP). This London-based insurer specializes in odd kinds of coverage, including both alien abduction insurance and immaculate conception insurance. GRIP even paid out a million-pound claim to a client who claimed he’d been abducted. (We won’t comment on the fact that he’s a business partner on GRIP’s managing director.)
To think we once thought it weird that online doctor visits were covered by insurance. By comparison, that’s perfectly normal.
