Normally when I talk to people about their sports car insurance, we talk about ways of avoiding driving into a lake. Sometimes, you get the occasional client that kids about driving the car off a cliff or setting it on fire if they can’t afford the payments. You know how the joke goes! “He he, lucky I have car insurance, at least I can set it on fire!”
All kidding aside, a Lufkin business found out that when it comes to sports cars and insurance claims, insurance companies take it seriously when they have to pay out; espcially $1.2 million dollars.
According to the Associated Press and the Houston Chronicle, Philadelphia Indemnity Insurance Co. filed a lawsuit against Lufkin auto dealer Andy House. The lawsuit accuses House of intentionally driving his Bugatti Veyron EB into 3 feet of salt water in La Marque, 36 miles southeast of Houston.
House, who sells exotic cars, denies the allegations. He has countersued the insurer, saying the company failed to pay as promised.
The lawsuit also alleges House ran the car engine for 15 minutes after the November 2009 splashdown, furthering damaging the vehicle’s engine.
House told police that car, with its 1,000-horsepower engine capable of reaching 253 mph, ended up in the lagoon when he swerved to avoid a seagull. He also said he delayed turning the engine off because of an attack of mosquitoes, according to the lawsuit, filed in June 2010 in federal court in Galveston.
However, a video of the incident taken by a passing motorist and posted on YouTube showed no seagull and no attempt to brake as the Italian sports car swerved into the water, the insurance company claims. Other websites report that Mr. House was trying to avoid a low flying pelican while picking up his cell phone.
Furthermore, a confidential informant told company investigators that House had offered to pay the informant to steal and burn the car so House could collect on his policy, according to the lawsuit. The informant told investigators that House business associate Lloyd Gillespie, who is also a defendant in the lawsuit, loaned the money to buy the car and is listed on the policy as payee, the lawsuit said.
Gillespie has denied the allegations in court filings. His attorney declined to comment to the newspaper.
via Insurer accuses owner of drowned Bugatti of fraud – Houston Chronicle.
Related Pages: Dallas Car Insurance