Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Sinkhole, in Ottawa?

If you ever needed a reminder that insurance claims can happen in an instant and can come out of nowhere, this very unusual local story proves it.

Yesterday afternoon, a man was driving home eastbound on Highway 174. He took his usual route home, and was proceeding to take the Jeanne D’Arc exit.  However, on this rainy Tuesday, there seemed to be something blocking the exit ramp. At first glace, the man thought there may be a tarp spread out on the road. As he approached the unidentified object, he quickly discovered it was a large hole!


With no room to stop without causing a major accident, his car fell into the large sinkhole.  His options were bleak, the likelihood of another vehicle falling into the hole and crushing him were high. Although the odds were stacked against him, he still managed to get his car door open and crawled out. Alive and safe with only minor injuries reported!

We never know when Mother Nature will strike. Flowing water can have many dangerous consequences. Luckily, the man escaped with only a couple bruises and scrapes. However, the situation could have been far more disastrous. Although we have no way of predicting the probability of a loss, it’s important to have proper coverage on your policy to help protect you and your loved-ones.

Please see our follow-up blog to learn how Insurance would handle an accident like this.

This article was written by Geneviève St-Denis from Rhodes & Williams Insurance Brokers.