My yamaha 90 four stoke caught on fire today. I don’t know the amount of damage yet. I have insurance so do they (state farm) cover for this? Any knowledge or experience out there?
Unless it was intentional damage, it should be covered. 
Good luck on repairs.
“I am constantly amazed at the stupidity of the general public.”
~my dad
Equipment:
190cc Sea Pro w/130 Johnson
1- 15 year old
1 - 11 year old
1 - wife (The Warden)
ECFC
You may want to check the policy for stuff similar to this:
quote:
“Accident” means a sudden event or continued or repeated contact with the same conditions which results in bodily injury, property damage, or loss which an insured person does not expect or intend. “Loss” means physical loss of or damage. Loss does not include diminution of value or loss of its use. ADDITIONAL EXCLUSIONS We will not pay for loss arising out of: a. unseaworthiness; b. mechanical, engine, transmission, electrical, or structural failure; c. wear and tear, deterioration, weathering, corrosion, rust, metal fatigue, or electrolysis; d. dampness of atmosphere, rot, dry rot, mold, or mildew; e. marring, scratching, denting, chipping, delamination, or osmotic blistering; f. engine overheating, inadequate lubrication, fuel contamination, abnormal combustion, misalignment of mechanical components, or improper shifting of transmission gears at high speed; g. faulty manufacture or defect in design; h. improper repair; power surge or interruption to electrical device, other than lightning;
“I am constantly amazed at the stupidity of the general public.”
~my dad
Equipment:
190cc Sea Pro w/130 Johnson
1- 15 year old
1 - 11 year old
1 - wife (The Warden)
ECFC
Thanks for the advice and I figured there would be a lot of exclusions. I guess the fire was electrical so it wouldn’t be covered. I can’t think of a cause for fire with all those exclusions. Thanks Claim.
quote:
Originally posted by DavidMThanks for the advice and I figured there would be a lot of exclusions. I guess the fire was electrical so it wouldn’t be covered. I can’t think of a cause for fire with all those exclusions. Thanks Claim.
Did it just short out or were there actual flames. If it’s just a short in the wiring or wiring that over heated, you may not have a good claim. If you have flames and had to put our a real fire…you may have a good claim.
Splitting hairs yes. Fire is a covered peril, electrical short may not be. Everyone has short outs, blown fuses and wiring corrosion that causes mechanical failures. Not everyone need to break out the fire extinguisher.
Depends on what happened.
“I am constantly amazed at the stupidity of the general public.”
~my dad
Equipment:
190cc Sea Pro w/130 Johnson
1- 15 year old
1 - 11 year old
1 - wife (The Warden)
ECFC
Oh…one more thought.
How much damage is there? If the damage is relatively minor, suck it up and leave insurance out of the picture. Once you file a “Fire” loss, you will have a fire claim noted on your ISO data base and getting any kind of insurance may make it harder or more expensive. Best person for advise there would be Gotcha.
When my neighbors house burned down several years ago and damaged my vinyl siding, I refused to let my insurer call my claim on my damage “fire”. I made them file it as “all other”. I did not want a fire claim to haunt me for the rest of my insurable future. They were curious about my objection to calling my damage fire. I told them, I did not have a fire - my neighbor did. I had “other” damage. After I told the folks I didn’t want an ISO hit, they understood and obliged.
“I am constantly amazed at the stupidity of the general public.”
~my dad
Equipment:
190cc Sea Pro w/130 Johnson
1- 15 year old
1 - 11 year old
1 - wife (The Warden)
ECFC
It was flames and if I turn the power on it will flame up again. Checking on the damage Tuesday. Great advice and may just suck it up if not bad. Kinda ruined by vacation.
Claim is the right man to talk to on matters of claims adjustment. I do not have authority to advise people on whether or not claims will be paid. That’s an adjuster’s role. However, my role is to explain how insurance works in general, so here goes.
Like Claim said, the adjuster might consider the fire itself the covered peril, but it may (and probably will) boil down to what caused the fire (and possibly even what caused the thing that caused the fire). The insurance companies are looking for the cause of damage–specifically, the “proximate cause”. Ultimately, the “proximate cause” of the loss will normally determine whether a claim is paid in the typical case like yours, where something causes a fire, which, in turn, caused damage. Keep in mind that insurance is intended to cover accidents; it’s not an engine warranty. So, it’s going to cover your motor if it’s smashed by a tree, and if that tree smash causes a fire somehow, it’ll cover that too, but it’s generally not going to cover your engine’s mechanical breakdown or things arising form that, just like car insurance won’t cover you if your motor breaks down. The proximate cause is the key.
Therefore, I think the best answer to your question is in the following definition, penned by IMRI (International Risk Management Institute, Inc.):
"Proximate Cause
In the context of first-party property insurance, “proximate cause” refers to the cause of loss in a multiple-cause situation on which courts focus to determine if the loss is covered. For sequential-cause situations, where the first event sets in motion a chain of events that causes a second event that causes the loss, there are three common law tests for ascertaining the “proximate cause”: (1) the last-cause test, (2) the first-cause test, and (3) the predominant-cause test. The last-cause test (which developed earliest) states that the loss will be covered if the last cause in the chain of events is covered. The first-cause test states that the loss will be covered if the first cause
What is ISO?
How it is used. Every claim I receive, I get a listing of all past insurance claims that have been filed by a customer - not just with my company, but all insurance claims from auto, slip and fall, workmans comp, property damage, thefts, etc. And I just get the summary - I can access more info if I need it. If the info is secure, I can request my Special Investigation Unit get the info. I have used it and found out that customers filed the same damage under 2 different policies and have learned of past damage for the current damage they are claiming. Big no-no.
“I am constantly amazed at the stupidity of the general public.”
~my dad
Equipment:
190cc Sea Pro w/130 Johnson
1- 15 year old
1 - 11 year old
1 - wife (The Warden)
ECFC
Were you asking me who/what ISO is, Claim, or were you posting that as an informational?
Gotcha Covered,
Lee Strickland
Strickland Marine Insurance, Inc.
843-795-1000 / 800-446-1862
quote:
Originally posted by gotchacoveredWere you asking me who/what ISO is, Claim, or were you posting that as an informational?
Gotcha Covered,
Lee Strickland
Strickland Marine Insurance, Inc.
843-795-1000 / 800-446-1862
Yes Lee…I know you know. I had mentioned ISO but didn’t explain what it is/was…it was like a hanging chad.
“I am constantly amazed at the stupidity of the general public.”
~my dad
Equipment:
190cc Sea Pro w/130 Johnson
1- 15 year old
1 - 11 year old
1 - wife (The Warden)
ECFC