Farmers Insurance, Washington State's second-largest property and casualty insurer, will cover the injuries to policyholder Ethel Adams, a motorist injured in a road-rage incident.
“Because of our belief that the facts will ultimately support a position of coverage for Ethel Adams, and because the Washington Department of Insurance has asked us to take action, we will, on this occasion, act based on our own circumstantial information and in the belief that the facts, once released to us, will also support coverage for Adams,” said Jeff Beyer, chief communication officer for Farmers.
The incident occurred when enraged driver Michael Testa deliberately struck his girlfriend's truck, causing her to collide with Adams' vehicle. Because Testa was uninsured, Adams made a claim with Farmers under her uninsured motorist provision. Farmers asserted that, because the claim did not involve an “accident,” it was not liable for any expenses. The insurer's response drew negative national media attention and the ire of the state's Department of Insurance Commissioner, Mike Kreidler.
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