Wed 23 Aug 2006
Cary Jackson, owner of the large south-Austin skate ramp, the Death Star, received a visit from an insurance adjuster a couple months ago. The storms Austin suffered in the spring sent a tree branch crashing into his roof and it caused enough damage that he was motivated to file an insurance claim. In addition to estimating the cost of repairing the roof damage, the insurance adjuster reported back to his State Farm insurance bosses that Cary’s backyard contained a skateboarding ramp.
Insurance companies love customers who pay their monthly premiums and never file a claim. You get on their shitlist, though, when your policy becomes anything but easy money for them. In Cary’s case, State Farm is happy to have an excuse to cancel his homeowner’s insurance policy and dodge having to pay off future claims. They’ve sent him a letter telling him that the backyard ramp creates a dangerous environment that his policy will not cover in the event that someone were to be injured on it. This is in spite of the eight-foot stockade fence that secures his backyard against trespassers. This is also in spite of his claim that no one other than himself skates the ramp and can’t skate it because of the fence and locked gate.
As a result, Cary is scrambling to find an insurance company to cover his home before the end of the month. If he can’t, he’ll have to initiate the self-destruct sequence on the technological nightmare.
Oh yeah, Wes posted some more photos in his gallery!
August 24th, 2006 at 1:35 am
those damn insurance people…
August 24th, 2006 at 2:53 am
He will have a hard time getting new insurance with the ramp. He will have to take it down, at least temporarily.
He should look into Amica.com — very good insurance company, based in Texas, with much better rates than rip-off company State Farm. Really good car insurance rates too.
August 24th, 2006 at 8:36 am
Good luck, Cary!
August 24th, 2006 at 9:11 am
Total BS I fuuucking hate insurance, you HAVE to have it but CAN’T fukking use it!?!?
What if you have a basketball hoop? noone’s ever been hurt playing basketball? total BS
August 24th, 2006 at 10:41 am
Normally an insurance company could just include an exclusion in the policy for whatever it is they don’t want to insure, in this case the ramp.
It may also be possible to have two policies–one for the house and one just for the ramp.
August 25th, 2006 at 2:22 am
the problem is this
the ramp doesnt meet any kind of city codes
and
unless the city comes out and does and inspection
(which will cost and arm and leg to do all the things to make it meet “building” codes)
the ramp wouldnt be insurable.
but
the company could easily write an exclusion into the policy
the downfall is that your homeowners insurance
is a “blanket” liability policy
example: i could trip and fall down on the front porch and sue cary for pain and suffering and medical bills
and his homeowners policy would pay for it.
i could sue cary under liable
and collect from his homeowner’s policy
even though he physically didnt cause injury to me.
insurance sucks.
trust me.
i am an insurance agent for about 1 more week.
i hate it after 5 1/2 years
August 26th, 2006 at 3:22 am
insurance companies: they give you an umbrella when it’s sunny out and take it away as soon as it starts raining…
September 1st, 2006 at 8:25 am
oh my god, that last comment hit the nail on the head… i think i might have to make a bumpersticker out of that one. fortunately, i got new coverage on my home, and the ramp is staying. those fuckers better bring out a real jedi next time if they wanna destroy the DEATH STAR!
ps- celebration soon to come, maybe saturday 9/9?
September 6th, 2006 at 5:56 am
u dont need no insurance just like u dont to have a basketball hoop in your front yard u could get just as hurt doing that its just another way the freemasons are keeping us down its time to end this enslavment be a real patriot and take our country back from them and go skate