Will insurance company pay after boulder crushes bedroom?

Sun Jan 27th, 2013 on     Homeowners Insurance,    

In an incident that would be very scary to any homeowner in Miami-Dade County, a woman in another state is lucky to be alive after a boulder rolled downhill and crashed into their home. The boulder crushed the wall and rolled into the couple’s bedroom, badly injuring the woman. Now the woman, her husband and the home’s owner are hoping the homeowners insurance company will help with the repair costs.

The woman and her husband recently moved into the home, which is located in a mountainous state. As she lay sleeping early in the morning of Jan. 19, a huge boulder somehow came loose from the ridge behind the house. It rolled toward the house, picking up speed until it crashed into the residence. Unfortunately, the corner the boulder collided with was where the bedroom was located. Though the woman was not crushed by the boulder, she suffered injuries to her jaw, sternum and leg. Her husband said that the sternum injury in particular was giving her discomfort.

Besides the woman’s injuries, a major issue is how to get rid of the boulder, if possible, to repair the home. It appears that the best way would be to break it up in to smaller pieces. The couple said they are reluctant to move after moving into the house just a month prior to the incident. However, the housing insurance company has yet to say if it will pay to remove the boulder. It is requiring the property owner to get three estimates.

Source: St. George News, “Husband reflects on house-crashing boulder, wife’s close call; future of the rock,” Mori Kessler, Jan. 21, 2013

Super Lawyers
Florida Legal Elite
Top Lawyer - South Florida Legal Guide
Association of Corporate Counsel - South Florida Chapter
Back to top