Property & Casualty adjusters encounter plenty of mundane claims: Flooded basements, trees falling in attics, and cars backing into one another at the grocery store. But every adjuster has at least one unusual claims story. You know — the ones that are shared over drinks at a conference or during lunch at an industry event. They are probably embellished a little over the years, but they are memorable because of the situation or the policyholders involved.

1. Slip-Sliding Away

Everyone knows about floater policies, but this tale takes it to a whole new level.

David LeNorman, senior investigator and adjuster for Alaska Adjusters in Anchorage, recalls one homeowner's claim that literally went off the rails.

The family who owned the property in question were longtime residents of the village of Aniak in Western Alaska. Some 60 years prior, the claimant's father had built a 1,000-square-foot store and the family lived above it. Not too far from the structure, a river flows.

In Alaska, a “break-up” is what happens when ice melts and splits, typically in the spring, and travels down river. Several immense blocks of ice had created a dam that blocked the water behind it, causing the water level to rise in the river by the store.

“The family was watching TV and said they felt like the house was floating,” LeNorman recalls. The structure was indeed moving, as it had been built atop a series of logs; the sediment at the location was too sandy to build upon without having a solid foundation to hold it in place.

A corner of the store was damaged, and the entire building shifted about 3 feet. Luckily, the structure had been placed on the riverbank near a rock outcropping. A corner of the platform got caught on the rocks, which protected the store from floating away down river.

“How many people can say they were sitting there watching TV, and an iceberg floats by the window?” LeNorman quips.

2. House of Mouse

Usually, a mouse or two in the house isn't a big deal. But one couple had an experience that is worthy of a horror movie.

Two newlyweds left for a month-long trip to Greece. While they were away, the power went out and the upright freezer in their garage defrosted. The food coagulated, and spilled out onto the floor.

Mark Nixon, president of St. Louis-based Nixon and Company, received the claim and learned the couple's home was infested with mice feasting on the toxic bounty. “When I arrived, the house smelled like it was infested by mice. I told them I didn't think they had coverage because it was damage from rodents.”

The claims manager confirmed that the couple did not have coverage for the loss, but the claim was escalated to someone else at the insurer who said the company would indeed pay out.

Nixon went back to the house and assessed the damages. An exterminator was hired, who stopped by daily to remove dozens of mice. When Nixon was talking to the exterminator, he learned that mice don't usually eat meat. “Are you sure the house wasn't infested before?” asked the exterminator, as he pointed out a field behind the home.

Nixon held up the claim again, but it was reinstated. The damage to the house was substantial. “Mice were eating the bait and going into the walls and dying,” explained Nixon. The ceilings, walls and carpets had to be pulled out because the entire house was infested.

By the time the job was completed, hundreds of mice had been removed. But that's not even the end of the story (see No. 3) …

3. Fluffy is Missing!

While their home was being exterminated and rebuilt, the owners stayed at a motel in St. Louis. Their little dog, Fluffy, got loose and was kidnapped. The owners told Nixon, “We want to put up a reward. Will the insurer pay for it?”

Again, Nixon told them he didn't think there was coverage, but the insurer agreed to pay for it.

The following night, Mr. & Mrs. Insured were on the local news saying, “Our dog, Fluffy, was kidnapped because the insurance company put us up at this hotel. We're offering a $500 reward to get our dog back, and the insurance company has agreed to pay it.”

When they didn't get a response to the $500 offer, the president of the insurance company said to increase the reward to $2,000. When no one responded, the insureds asked if they could keep the money and use it to purchase a new dog. The insurer said yes. The owners went on the news again and shared how the insurer had let them keep the reward money to get a new dog.

When the policyholders returned home, Mr. Insured complained that some contents had disappeared from the residence. Nixon told the policyholder to put it on the list and he would contact the restoration contractor about the missing contents. Mr. Insured said he wanted a meeting with everyone involved in his claim because some very personal items were gone.

Nixon gathered representatives from every vendor involved in the claim — the cleaners, the restoration company, electrician and exterminator – for a meeting. “We are missing some very personal videos,” the homeowner said, “that my wife and I made in the bedroom.”

Special Reports /

Claims So Crazy They Must Be True!

Related Stories

Recommended For You