Vehicle through the ice on Winnisquam

[upthesaukee]

Lakes Region fire dispatch has just issued a call to Laconia FD for a vehicle through the ice on Winnisquam, just off Bartlett Beach.

According to the dispatch, the people got out, vehicle has engine compartment through the ice.

This call came in around 6:45 PM...what were they thinking?

Bartlett Beach is off of Court Street, to Bay Street then a left on Winnisquam Ave to the end.

[VitaBene]

Wrong year for that!

[upthesaukee]

From the Concord Monitor explaining the removing of vehicles from waterways. Have fun, all you legal pundits.

http://www.concordmonitor.com/home/1...usually-follow

[fatlazyless]

Will they be "in good hands" with Allstate if they have Allstate coverage......will insurance pay? .....for this motor vehicle incident?

Is it considered an accident or self-destructive.....or what do the insurance companies call this......self-imposed mayhem and all-around idiotic?

If the driver of this big white Chevrolet pickup truck (equipped with OnStar) did the same thing in July, and drove the truck down the beach and out into the waters of Lake Winnisquam on purpose.....would their insurance pay for that?

[ishoot308]

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

Will they be "in good hands" with Allstate if they have Allstate coverage......will insurance pay? .....for this motor vehicle incident?

Is it considered an accident or self-destructive.....or what do the insurance companies call this......self-imposed mayhem and all-around idiotic?

If they did the same thing in July, and drove their car down the beach and out into the waters of Lake Winnisquam on purpose.....would their insurance pay for that?

Well I could be wrong but I think they are out of luck when it comes to insurance coverage. Because an automobile is not considered and ATV (All Terrain Vehicle) they will not be covered.

I remember when I lost my ATV through the ice a few years back, the rep from Allstate said I would not be covered if it was a truck or car but because it was an ATV it was 100% covered.

FWIW;

Dan

[LIforrelaxin]

Dan is correct most times a vehicle is not covered when it goes through this ice.... However I do know that some companies allow you to take out an additional insurance rider for this type of special coverage.

[Descant]

There are very few restrictions to either comprehensive or collision coverage. Watch that commercial where the driver goes through his garage door or drops the tree limb on the parked car. Even if you are doing something illegal e.g. speeding, and have an accident, damage to your car is covered. Unless you finance the vehicle, Comporehensive and collision are optional coverages and a lot of people don't buy those coverages. If it's financed, the bank wants to be named as additional insured or loss payee.

Best answer is to write a letter to your agent and get a written response. Opinions expressed here won't matter when your policy is different from somebody else's, even if they're insured by the same company.

[tis]

I was shocked when my agent said we were covered to haul materials across the ice in the winter. This was quite a few years ago and we don't do it but I assume it would still be covered.

[Broken Glass]

I was told a while back that if your vehicle is a four wheel drive, it is covered on the ice. It is expected that a four wheel drive could be operated off road.

[dpg]

Originally Posted by Broken Glass

I was told a while back that if your vehicle is a four wheel drive, it is covered on the ice. It is expected that a four wheel drive could be operated off road.

Exactly thought I've also heard that and read it here before. As four wheelers are "expected" or can "potentially" be used for such a purpose and a "standard" car has no right or need to be out on the ice. That's what I've always understood but again call your company.

[upthesaukee]

Collision coverage covers loss due to an accident, ie; car vs car, car vs tree, rollover, etc.

Comprehensive Coverage, also know as Other Than Collision Coverage, covers most other things that can happen to your car other than a loss due to collision. This commonly includes loss due to fire, flood, theft, glass breakage (some states have separate glass coverage) etc.

When I worked in the Personal Lines Underwriting Dept. for an insurance company, we often wished that there was an Aggravated Ignorance exclusion on auto policies, but alas, to no avail. There are other exclusions to Comprehensive, but it really is pretty broad coverage.

While I do not remember having a claim for a vehicle through the ice, I feel reasonably certain that our Claims dept would honor the claim if it was strictly by accident that the vehicle went through the ice (remember, no aggravated ignorance exclusion here) and it was not an intentional act, meaning the owner / operator intended to drive the car out on the ice for the express purpose of having it go through the ice. An example of an intentional act would be driving a car down the Alton Boat ramp in July on purpose.

As in all insurance questions of coverage, First read your policy and understand that the insurance gods give you coverage, and then take it away by exclusion, and sometime will give you back a little. Secondly, talk to your agent or company, and get it in writing that you are or are not covered, and by what coverage or exclusion.

Insurance policies are NOT written by insurance companies per se, by their underwriters, but are written by lawyers and have very specific language as to the coverage, and have meanings for certain words and phrases included in policies.

It has been some years now since I worked in Insurance, but there was nothing in the policies about coverage for SUV vs Cars vs Trucks, and not 4 wheel drive vs 2 wheel drive, front wheel drive vs rear wheel drive.

Bottom line, be safe, and if you have questions, get your answers before venturing out on the ice, and did I mention: Be Safe.

[IslandRadio]

Here's an car-through-the-water case that went to court. In this case, the court sided against the insurance company, who had to pay the claim. There is a lot of information here that's very interesting:

http://mn.findacase.com/research/wfr...317.DMN.htm/qx

[fatlazyless]

...and, on the day of October 23, 2004, somewhere on a frozen lake in Minnesota, after falling through the ice the day before, the driver of the car, a 1991 Pontiac Grand Prix, was killed while removing it up and out of the icy frozen lake. He and some others had set up a tripod made with poplar logs, hooked the car with the help of an underwater camera, and had the car partially out of the water, when something went wrong that killed him.

Ya know that a '91 Grand Prix could be a very big and heavy car?

...so, where do you go to get your life back after you get killed?

[upthesaukee]

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

...and, on the day of October 23, 2004, somewhere on a frozen lake in Minnesota, after falling through the ice the day before, the driver of the car, a 1991 Pontiac Grand Prix, was killed while removing it up and out of the icy frozen lake. He and some others had set up a tripod made with poplar logs, hooked the car with the help of an underwater camera, and had the car partially out of the water, when something went wrong that killed him.

Ya know that a '91 Grand Prix could be a very big and heavy car?

...so, where do you go to get your life back after you get killed?

If you had bothered to read the article, FLL, you would realize that the vehicle went through the ice on January 12, 2003, not October 23, 2004.

Hope that you don't have someone make a callous statement, about you or a loved one, like your last one about the deceased. This horrific accident should not be made light of.

[Merrymeeting]

FLL, you seem to be very active in many threads, with your rambling, poorly punctuated posts. They change your meds?

[ishoot308]

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

...and, on the day of October 23, 2004, somewhere on a frozen lake in Minnesota, after falling through the ice the day before, the driver of the car, a 1991 Pontiac Grand Prix, was killed while removing it up and out of the icy frozen lake. He and some others had set up a tripod made with poplar logs, hooked the car with the help of an underwater camera, and had the car partially out of the water, when something went wrong that killed him.

Ya know that a '91 Grand Prix could be a very big and heavy car?

...so, where do you go to get your life back after you get killed?

Really in poor taste FLL, really....

[Tank151]

"Nationwide is on your side" - NOT!

[rscalzo]

would their insurance pay for that?

If the act was intentional, they can deny the claim as it's no longer an accident.
Payment to remove probably would be covered somehow..