Other than Collision or Collision Coverage? We have a few questions. 

1. The insured vehicle sustains flood damage from rising water while the insured vehicle is parked and unoccupied.

2. The insured, driving on the street, encounters water on the street and the IV is subsequently damaged by water.

3. The insured drives into a lake, river, stream, ocean, swimming pool, etc.

 I would like some clarification as to whether or not these scenarios are considered collision or comp-other than collision.

 Minnesota Subscriber

You raise one of the most common questions regarding other than collision and collision coverage. The first one is easy, as water or flood are listed as other than collision and the car was stationary at the time of loss; in such situations, the water rises around the vehicle, so there's not really an impact, it's an accumulation. This is other than collision.

 

Your next two questions both have the vehicle in motion, and that's where it gets tricky. Most legal opinions state that water is an object, so autos that run into water are colliding with an object. Whether the insured drives into standing water on a road or drives into a lake, the action is the same; the insured drives into water. Driving into water is an impact with an object, so these are collision losses.

 

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