CERTAINLY travel insurance companies have heard it all, but an unwitting meeting of a bike, car, train, horse and dog took the biscuit.
A claim was placed to Aon Risk Services insurance group after a cast of unlikely characters met in a surreal comedy of errors somewhere in the East Midlands.
Unbelievable as it may be, it was nominated the most bizarre car-rental accident of the year.
A driver approached a level crossing and was confronted with a horse and a pensioner walking his dog. Slamming on his brakes he was rear-ended by a motorcyclist who was thrown from his bike. He landed behind the horse causing it to rear up and throw its rider into a hedge. The horse then bolted.
The pensioner tied his dog to the level crossing barrier, the nearest object, and rushed to the aid of the fallen horse-rider. Of course, a train approached the junction and the barrier began to lift, taking the small dog with it.
The dog’s owner rushed to rescue it but in the midst of the drama, the dog bit the prostrate motorcyclist in the groin.
Aon nominated this its most bizarre rental car accident of 1999 – and surely claims can’t get any stranger.
The upshot of all this mayhem was a payout to the horse rider, who claimed third-party damages for himself and his horse against the car driver.