We left Kevin 'Home Alone.' Will travel insurance cover this?
How would insurance respond to events in ‘Home Alone,’ ‘Die Hard’ and ‘National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation’?
A modern Christmas classic, “Home Alone” hosts a range of insurance dilemmas, from break-ins to pizza delivery boys who are less-than-stellar drivers.
Of course, the big question is: Would travel insurance reimburse the cost of the ticket that wasn’t used by young Kevin McAllister?
According to Joe Cortez, travel expert and content manager for Sqauremouth Inc., travel insurance might offer coverage for events from the movie, but not because the child was left behind.
“Most policies do not list leaving a child ‘Home Alone’ by accident as a qualifying trip interruption event,” he says. “However, certain plans will cover a trip interruption claim if the covered individual’s primary residence is burglarized while they are away. If the McAllisters had this coverage, they would be able to book emergency tickets home after the Wet Bandits’ break in.”
Concerning the Wet Bandits, who were known for burglarizing and flooding houses, home insurance policies would cover the property theft and damage following these types of break-ins.
“So if the Murphys (victims of the Wet Bandits in the film) filed a claim upon returning from their vacation in Florida, home insurance would likely pay for the stolen property, as well as water damage cleanup and repairs,” says Pat Howard, licensed P&C agent and insurance expert at Policygenius.
An exception to this would be if the Murphys were gone for two months or longer, as Cortez explains homeowners insurance specifically excludes damage caused by vandalism or malicious mischief in a home that has been vacant for more than 60 consecutive days.
‘Is your house on fire, Clark?’
Clark Griswold, played by Chevy Chase in the National Lampoon’s Vacation franchise, offers up a master class in mishaps that showcase the importance of carrying a range of insurance coverages.
In one of the most memorable scenes from “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” Griswold suffers a series of mishaps and injuries while covering his home in Christmas lights.
According to Bill Martin, president and CEO, Plymouth Rock Home Assurance, this would not be a covered event.
“Now if your neighbor was helping you put up the lights, they would be covered,” Martin says. “So you better check your ladders.”
Clark Griswold’s Christmas lights debacle ends with him destroying a portion of his decorations in a fit of rage. A workers’ comp claim could have been derived from the filming of this scene, as Chase broke his pinky finger while punching a plastic Santa Claus.
You might also be curious about the chair that had fire damage from the cat bursting into flames after chewing through a string of Christmas lights.
A standard homeowners insurance policy doesn’t cover damage caused by “animals owned or kept by an insured,” which would include the Griswold’s cat or any other family pet chewing through Christmas lights and starting a blaze, according to Howard.
“However, if a family pet were to chew through the neighbor’s Christmas lights and start a fire in their home, the resulting damage would likely be covered under the liability coverage portion of the pet owner’s home insurance policy,” Howard says.
Additionally, if you still have cloth-wrapped Christmas lights or the kind that stop working if one bulb goes out, it is time for an upgrade, according to Martin.
“New wires, please, please. And try to put them someplace where no one will trip over them,” he says. “I think Chevy Chase has a habit of looking for wires to trip over, so maybe don’t invite Chevy over. He likes the prank fall better than he likes the lighting.”
Yippee ki yay
If the Nakatomi Corp. had active assailant coverage, the hostage situation turned robbery at the heart of “Die Hard” would be covered, according to Paul Marshall, managing director/underwriter active shooter workplace violence division for McGowan Program Administrators.
McGowan’s policy documents define an active assailant event as “any premeditated physical attack involving the use of a weapon and committed by an individual or group actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill or cause bodily injury to any other individual or group.”
Active assailant insurance covers a range of losses, from bodily injury and property damage claims to business interruption, Marshall points out.
As he was out of his jurisdiction and on vacation, John McClane is unlikely to have a workers’ comp claim. Unfortunately for McClane, travel insurance would also be unlikely to help cover his medical bills, according to Squaremouth’s Cortez.
Most travel insurance policies exclude coverage if a traveler is involved in “an act of war, civil disorder, riot, insurrection, unrest, participation in military service, or any activity not specifically covered by the plan,” Cortez explains.
“This is why it’s important to read the plan Certificate of Coverage or talk to a travel insurance expert before buying a policy,” he says. “Even if a benefit suggests that a traveler might be covered, they can’t file a claim if it is not included in the policy.”
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