Four Insurance Claims to Avoid on the Fourth of July

Our nation’s most important holiday is upon us and we’ll all be celebrating in traditional fashion. A fireworks show is definitely on the agenda. A weekend at the lake will be nice if you can get the time off. An unanticipated accident and a call to your San Diego insurance agent are definitely not on the list. There are a number of intentional and unintentional actions that can lead to you needing to go down that road. If you want to avoid holiday insurance claims, pay attention in the following areas:

Cooking Fires: Placing the barbeque grill too close to the house on the Fourth of July is a recipe for disaster. It seems like common sense, but you’d be surprised at how many of the San Diego home insurance claims we get on the Fourth from homeowners just wanting to make a little more room for their guests. Cutting it close is not a good idea. Vinyl siding or wood will catch on fire, as will fences or bushes if you move the grill too close to them. Leave plenty of space and be safe.

Car Accidents: Unfortunately, the fatality rate on our highways is higher during the July 4th holiday week than at any other time of year, including New Years Eve. Please do not drink and drive and if you get into an accident of any kind, try to be courteous to the other driver. Nothing complicates San Diego auto insurance claims more than overly hostile drivers who can’t see eye to eye on what happened. Make sure everyone is okay and handle the passing of papers like any other business transaction, because that is exactly what it is. Leave your feelings and emotions out of it.

Fireworks Injuries: It may be illegal in your town to light off fireworks in your backyard, but there’s a good chance someone will be doing it – maybe even you. Fireworks injuries were responsible for over ten thousand insurance claims last year, many of them on San Diego homeowners’ insurance policies. Don’t let your house be the next one on that list. There are plenty of legal, public fireworks displays to see in and around the city both on the night of the Fourth and throughout the week. All of them are better, and safer, than any spectacle you can put on in your backyard.

Boating Accidents: Did you know that you can be held responsible if someone gets drunk on your property and then gets into a boating accident? Any victims of that accident are well within their legal rights to sue you and force your San Diego home insurance company to pay for medical bills and/or property damages. There were over eight thousand boating accidents in the United States last year, more than half of them involving the use of alcohol by either the boat driver or passengers. It’s okay to have a few drinks on the Fourth of July, but do yourself a favor. Stay on dry land if you get drunk. And please don’t get behind the wheel of your car. Happy Fourth of July.