As you may have noticed, today is Friday, July 13. Friday the 13th is traditionally seen by some better safe than sorry superstitious individuals as a day when one must take care to avoid catastrophe terminal embarrassment certain doom being unlucky. We here at Big I New York are, of course, above such silliness. As a rule, our staff members are stupid reckless confident enough to go on about their lives as if it were any other day.
However, when if the predictable unexpected happens, insurance is there to say I-told-you-so pay for the financial fallout. Here, in no particular order, from the home office in Harpursville, New York, are the top five Friday the 13th hazards and how prudent superstitious individuals and businesses avoid big trouble an eternal curse OMG-what-were-you-thinking accidental loss:
Ladders. Look, if you insure contractors, you know all about New York's scaffold law. Many scaffold law claims involve someone standing on a ladder and suddenly finding himself subject to the earth's gravitational pull in a most unwelcome way. The ladder shifts, it moves, it spins, it does the hokey-pokey, whatever, and a worker falls and gets hurt. But what about if someone walks under the ladder? The ancient Egyptions caught onto this one 5,000 years ago. Fortunately, while many Commercial General Liability insurance policies exclude coverage for an employee falling off a ladder, relatively few exclude coverage when someone tempts fate by walking under one. So far.
Black cats. I know someone who has a black cat. At some point, that cat must have crossed in front of her. You know what it did? It developed a taste for the water supply line leading from her plumbing system to her toilet. Said cat also had reasonably sharp cat teeth. The result was a pond in what was at one time her downstairs. It took six months and thousands of dollars from her homeowners insurance company to repair the damage. Against her better judgment, she still has the cat.
Mirrors. Ever stop to think how often you come across mirrors during the day? They're in multiple rooms in your home. There are at least three of them attached to your car. They're in public restrooms. And any one of them can break. Sure, your car insurance and homeowners insurance will cover the cost of broken mirrors if the amount of damage clears the deductible. And if your skin happen to contact the broken glass, medical insurance covers part of the cost to sew you up. But what do you do about the next seven years? Not leaving the house isn't an option. There are mirrors in there.
Step on a crack ... In general, I believe I caused my mother enough grief during my formative years. I don't want to be responsible for putting her in traction because I failed to step cleanly on a single panel of a sidewalk. However, should I chew gum while walking fail to pay attention, the good news is she has Medicare.
Umbrellas. No, not an umbrella insurance policy, though that would certainly mitigate my financial burden should Medicare choose to subrogate against me following the previous item on this list. I'm referring to opening an umbrella in the house. Generally speaking, unless one owns a black cat with a tendency to gnaw on water supply conduits, there is little need for an umbrella whilst indoors. However, the possibility can't be ruled out that someone may want to show off their brand new The Avengers: Infinity Wars umbrella in the living room. This could dislodge household furnishings, scratch walls, and potentially put someone's eye out. My advice is to make sure you're carrying either homeowners or renters insurance with high limits for both personal property and personal liability. Or make sure you're outdoors when you show off your umbrella. But that's just me.
So, if you're one of those people who believe in fate karma bad luck, these are the top insurable hazards and how you can cover them. If you have any questions or comments, look for me in the Big I New York lunchroom. I'll be the one tossing salt over my left shoulder.
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