Vehicle Insurance Claims California
Reader’s Question:
I have trouble with making vehicle insurance claims here in California. My insurance company says some weird religious stuff about an “Act of God,” and that they don’t have to cover for my car’s damages. What gives?
Albert,
Anaheim, CA
Here’s a quick question before you decide to take legal action against your insurance company: did your car get damaged by an unavoidable natural disaster or freak accident?
Rather than a religious term, “Acts of God” in the legal sense are when unavoidable disasters or freak accidents occur and subsequently damage your car. Earthquakes, wildfires and sudden sinkholes are examples of disasters, while falling satellites and loose baseballs are examples of freak accidents.
When such instances occur, an insurance company then has the right to withhold payments for vehicle insurance claims in California or anywhere else in America unless you’re specifically covered for such freak accidents.
The safest bet for you right now would be to carefully review your insurance policy. If it has no clause that pays you for “Acts of God,” then you’ve got no choice but to accept the fact that you’re not going to get any money for it. If, however, you find that you’re covered in instances of such freak accidents, you can then file a complaint with your state’s insurance department and take legal action against your insurance company.
Just make sure that this “Acts of God” wasn’t avoidable, otherwise you may be charged with negligence. For example: you will be charged with negligence if you lost your car to a fire that was caused by a leaking oil tank. So be careful about taking legal action unless you’re absolutely sure you did everything humanly possible to prevent a disaster.
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