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Auto Insurance Claims/Arson
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Question
My neighbors house was just burned down by arson, and my mini van parked in front of my home was severely damaged.I do not have a full coverage only what the state of Conn. requires.The neighbors only rent the property.Who is responsible for the damage I have incurred?
Hello,
This is interesting. As for your state required auto insurance, that only covers your liability for something you are responsible for. This means for conversation sake, you have no coverage.
If in fact the fire was deemed arson by authorities, if they have a suspect as to who set the fire, that person(s) would be responsible for the damage to your vehicle.
You might try to find out who owns the home that is being rented and see if they have homeowner's insurance to cover the damage to the garage. If so, you can submit a claim against that policy. Otherwise, I am afraid, you are out of luck.
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Answers by Expert:
Rob Painter, Ase, CFEI, CAFATE
Expertise
Please remember. I am not an attorney and cannot legal advice. My answers are based on my experience due to litigation I have been involved in as an expert, for both insurance companies and while oposing them opposing them. I deal with only comprehensive claims on autos related to fire and theft. I have even had the opportunity to rewrite policy coverage language as it relates to vehicle theft and forced entry for insurance defense attorneys.
Experience
Experience in the area: Working with insurance companies and attorneys on these issues for over 20 years. It is very common to have a reported stolen car with a so-called factory anti-theft system to have the theft claim denied. I have served successfully as an expert witness in the courts across the US representing the insured and their attorney revealing that the insurance expert did not take all known theories into consideration before rendering their "Forensic" conclusion. Many insurance carriers us independent "Forensic" experts to examine reported stolen vehicles commonly using flawed methodology implicating the innocent insured with the theft. My job is to determine if the insurance expert reached his conclusions based on accepted scientific principals or just net opinion with no basis other than opinion. My case record against such experts is very compelling.My resume can be seen at the catagory "Auto Theft and Prevention." In "Forensics" the scientific method must be employed. In the forensic locksmith field determining how a reported stolen vehicle was last operated, many processes cannot be duplicated and are conveniently not addressed. If they were, juries would have the opportunity to make a fair and impartial opinion at least about what the expert could or could not prove. There is a purported process determining the last key used. The chances of determining such is very rare uless the key is found in the ignition lock. Experts commonly destroy evidence as well and are rarely questioned on this event. I reveal the weakness in their testimony on such instances.
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