There are many things people associate with Halloween: trick-or-treating, costumes, ghosts, jack-o’-lanterns, candy, etc. One thing one might not immediately think of when one thinks of Halloween is property insurance claims. However, the Halloween holiday season is a time of the year that can give rise to many such claims.
There are a variety of different accidents and incidents that can occur at homes during the Halloween season that could lead to property insurance claims being filed. Some examples include:
- Slip-and-falls or trip-and-falls caused by Halloween decorations.
- Fires caused by lit jack-o’-lanterns or other Halloween decorations.
- Pumpkin carving accidents.
- Home-made haunted house accidents.
- Dogs or other pets biting a trick or treater or other individuals.
- Vandalism.
Thus, the time following Halloween can end up being a busy one for property insurance companies, as there can be many Halloween-related claims to make accept-or-deny decisions in relation to.
Sometimes, an insurance company ends up facing a legal challenge in relation to a property insurance claim denial it has made, such as a denial of a Halloween-related claim. Denied claim cases can get very complex. Many different things can impact how the case will go and what issues will be important in the case, such as the exact nature of the incident the insurance claim was made in relation to. As our discussion of possible Halloween-related property insurance claims demonstrates, there are a wide range of different types of incidents property insurance claims can regard.
Thus, tailoring a claim denial defense strategy to the specifics of the situation can be very important for insurance companies. Insurance defense attorneys can provide property insurance companies with guidance when it comes to what approach to take in a denied claim case.
Source: Fox Business, “Why Halloween Scares Insurance Providers (and Should Scare You),” Shannon Ireland, Oct. 23, 2015