Isabel Parker’s Slip and Fall
Sometimes, the amount of dedication to a ruse will impress you. Such is the case with Isabel Parker. For 7 years, between 1993 and 2000 Isabel Parker went around pretending to slip and fall in various locations. After doing it nearly 49 times, she filed insurance claims for her injuries amounting to nearly millions of dollars.
Unfortunately for her, her insurance company didn’t fall for it. Good thing she didn’t really injure herself too badly while keeping up the ruse. And honestly, with all the CCTV footages that captured her numerous falls in groceries and shops, did she really think they’d fall for it?
Colorful dogs
Pets are a mischievous bunch! Especially man’s best friend! Dogs of every breed and sizes have their own unique personalities. They also get in all types of trouble but it doesn’t stop fur parents from loving every bit of them.
However, one fur mom’s patience was tested when her dog left a colorful mess for her to clean up. Her dog accidentally dipped its tail in an open can of paint and proceeded to run around the house, shaking and wagging its tail, leaving a Picasso-inspired mess.
Good thing she has comprehensive insurance and she got two-legged painters to fix the mess.
Monkey Business
Not that kind of monkey business. Traveling is a huge industry and many people from all over the world make it their life goal to visit a certain number of countries, if not all. Asia is always a part of travel enthusiasts’ bucket list, including Malaysia.
However, you might think twice once you hear about this insurance claim. A travelling couple had their clothes stolen and scattered around the jungle by a thieving band of monkeys. Luckily, their insurance company graciously agreed to cover their losses. That’s one travel story to write home about, or use as an icebreaker at a party.
Lost Coat
Similar to the case of the missing boat, a woman filed a $10k claim for a lost fur coat. Authentic fur garments can be really expensive due to its material and how it’s made, thus it was understandable to have it insured for a great amount of money.
However, the woman’s plans were foiled when the coat was found sitting in storage with her name monogrammed on the inside. The kicker was that it also came with a $1k receipt for the coat! You’d think she would’ve done a better job at hiding the evidence with the amount of money involved with her insurance claim.
Sleeping and Driving
Known as the Great Heck rail crash or the Selby rail crash, a high speed train accident occurred in England back in 2001. It resulted in 10 deaths and 82 people injured. The crash was said to have been caused by Gary Hart falling asleep behind the wheel. Fortis insurance paid a whopping $44 million to cover the losses.
Learn your lesson from this case. If you’re ever feeling sleepy, pull up and stop driving. It’s better to arrive late than not to arrive at your destination at all. Even worse if you’re in charge of other people’s well-being and lives.
Parachute Problems
Extreme sports are popular to adrenaline junkies. Bungee jumping, sports diving, paragliding, and of course, sky diving. All of which requires people to sign waivers and insurance documents before they partake in it, given the danger involved.
It was all fun and games for a family on vacation in England when, out of nowhere, a parachutist landed on their equipment and destroyed most of it. Although they weren’t at fault, the insurance company refused to honor their claim and pay for the damages. Looks like they had to settle it with the parachutist or their own set of lawyers. What a memorable vacation.
Slippery Slope
Snow sports may look serene and calm due to the whiteness of the landscape on which it’s played. However, it’s not really known for being safe. Every winter, insurance companies dish out over $100 million to cover various types of injuries and collateral damage from snow sports accidents.
It’s not just injuries that enthusiasts and athletes need to worry about. Downhill skiing is one of the most popular winter sports. It also causes the most injuries and number of deaths. According to statistics, 20 to 30 deaths occur each year from downhill skiing, due to excessive speed and loss of control.
IPhone Issues
How many times have you dropped your phone? How many times have you lost it? Or sat on it, cracking its screen? Do you remember how frustrated and annoyed you were?
Well, imagine that feeling and multiply it by a hundred. That’s probably close to what a farmer in Minnesota felt when he lost his iPhone… inside a cow. The details are not fleshed out but it’s said that he lost it in the rear end of one of his cows while he was helping with calving in the middle of the night. Wonder what the insurance company said about that.
Mouse Soup
There’s nothing more nauseating than finding an insect or worse, a small animal, in your food. This is exactly what a Virginian woman claimed to feel when she filed a case against Cracker Barrel after allegedly finding a mouse in her soup.
Cracker Barrel, being a fairly large restaurant, launched their own investigation and determined that there was no cheese inside the rodent’s lungs. Through this, they learned that the mouse was not cooked with the food. The woman is now in jail for attempted extortion.
Lesson learned: choose your insurance claims wisely. And don’t try to lie your way into getting cash!
Out of Time
There’s a slight anxiety involved when it comes to leaving a prized possession in the hands of a stranger, even though they’re professional jewelers. It’s understandable, but have you ever thought of what it felt for the other side?
Unfortunately, a jeweler mixed up two different watches that ended up costing him over 9,200 pounds. He tried to file an insurance claim when a customer brought him a 200-pound watch to fix, and he accidentally gave said customer a 10,000-pound watch when it was claimed.
Unfortunately, his claim was dismissed and the insurance company decided that he was on his own.