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When thinking of insurance claims, people’s minds might shift to leaky homes, damaged laptops, furniture malfunctions, broken glasses, and stolen phones among other things.
But between the most common insurance claims are stories so wacky you would think the victim was a children’s fiction writer.
State Insurance has released information highlighting some of New Zealand’s more peculiar claims from 2023 - including instances of driving dogs and stolen false teeth.
The company’s Executive General Manager Claims, Wayne Tippet, said that although speeding jandals and forgetful workers were among some of the strangest claims, it was animals that had let loose in customers’ homes that had been the cause of much damage.
State Insurance said they were “here to help, no matter how peculiar or unusual the claim is”.
But were they prepared for these? Here are some of New Zealand’s weirdest insurance claims for 2023.
After what seemed a bustling 2023 for many New Zealanders, the team at State Insurance has looked back on its most quirky claims received last year.
Driving dog crashes into vehicle
State Insurance explained that a number of their policies cover damage caused by pets or animals like chewing or tampering with parts of a vehicle such as handbrakes, gear sticks or seat belts.
But what they didn’t bank on was a claim coming across their desk about a car accident caused by a driving dog.
“One customer’s vehicle was hit by a dog driving a van. The pup was sitting in a van and somehow managed to release the handbrake,” Tippet explained.
“The van rolled backwards down the driveway it was parked in, crashing into our customer’s vehicle parked on the other side of the road.”
Turns out dog was not man’s best friend on this occasion.
Turns out a peacock can cause a lot of damage.
Protective peacock destroys bathroom
While guard dogs are a common claim for damaged goods, you’d least expect a bird to be the cause of a damaged room in your home.
Unfortunately for one homeowner, a curious peacock caused a lot of damage to their bathroom.
How did the peacock end up in the bathroom? Who knows, but Tippet revealed the mayhem that unfolded when it decided it had to defend itself and its territory.
“Our customer’s pet peacock managed to get into their bathroom. Upon seeing itself in the mirror, the peacock attacked the ‘intruder’, causing significant damage to our customer’s bathroom.”
Thief takes off with false teeth
Stolen clothing is one thing, but what about stolen false teeth?
We’ll let Tippet explain.
“Out for brunch one morning at a café, a customer took out their false teeth, putting them in their jacket pocket while they enjoyed their meal.
“Before leaving, a quick bathroom break was had, but upon returning to the table, the customer noticed the jacket was gone! It had been stolen … along with their teeth.
“In hopes of finding a wallet, the jacket thief might’ve been bitten after reaching into the pocket.”
Hopefully there was soup on the menu for our victim.
Flip-flops & repair shops
“Jandals are a Kiwi staple come summertime - some even brave cold toes for the beloved iconic footwear in winter.
“It has been debatable for some time now though whether jandals are the right fit for the driver’s seat. They led one customer’s mother astray by getting caught on the accelerator pedal.
“The vehicle came to a stop after hitting the garage of a stranger’s property.”
Usually, tools are used for fixing things. But on this occasion, it was the tools that became the problem.
“One customer was working out in the country for the day. They had packed an assortment of tools including a few chainsaws to tackle the job. At the end of the long day, they loaded everything on to the back of their ute.
“Their cell phone rang so they answered accordingly, forgetting to close the tailgate.
“While it was a peaceful drive home, after pulling into the driveway, the customer was shocked to find an open tailgate and most of their tools and saws missing.
“A trip back along the road in the ute, they managed to find a few tools sitting on the side of the road looking a bit worse for wear.
