Oct 20 Insurance Newsletter

Does Homeowners Insurance Cover Landscaping Mishaps?

It was a bright, sunny, peaceful day. The birds were chirping and minding their own business when Tim, the neighbor's son and a nervous new driver, drove smack-dab through the middle of your front lawn during his driving lesson. Is this unfortunate mishap covered by homeowners insurance? Generally, yes, a standard homeowners insurance policy will cover another person's vehicle driving into your landscaping. However, you shouldn't expect your entire landscaping costs to be reimbursed by your insurance company. Usually, you will first have to meet your deductible. You probably can't expect the full amount of damage to be paid to you. Additionally, there are sometimes limits on how much an insurance policy will pay per tree or shrub or limits are placed on recovery from landscaping as a percentage of the total protection on your dwelling. While your homeowners insurance policy is good protection against any sort of freak accident that happens to your landscaping (such as a car plowing into it, fire, lightning or vandals), your policy likely won't cover more predictable happenings such as typically heavy winds or hail common to your area. Damage caused by weather and pests often isn't covered by homeowners insurance.

Dr. Kathy Sullivan's Adventures:
From Outer Space to Ocean DepthsOn October 11, 1984, 33-year-old Kathy Sullivan made one giant leap for womankind when she became the first American female to walk in space. But the astronaut's pioneering aspirations didn't start and end in the celestial expanse. Thirty-five years later, the intrepid explorer made history once more by traveling in the opposite direction.

On June 7, 2020, Sullivan also became the first woman to visit the deepest known point on the ocean floor. Harboring a long-held fascination with oceanography, the former NASA geologist realized a lifelong goal when she traveled an astonishing 35,810 feet to the deepest part of the Mariana Trench.

Joined by her colleague Victor Vescovo, Sullivan spent an hour and a half taking photographs from a submersible called Limiting Factor, the first-ever privately built and funded mini-submarine. Specifically designed to withstand the crushing eight-tons-per-square-inch pressure of the lowest point on the planet, the apparatus has provided scientists with an incredible platform for research, filmmaking and exploration.

After a four-hour ascent back to the surface to dock with DSSV Pressure Drop mothership, Sullivan took part in yet another world first, initiating a call between the International Space Station and the Pressure Drop to converse with old teammates.

"As a hybrid oceanographer and astronaut, this was an extraordinary day, a once-in-a-lifetime day, seeing the moonscape of the Challenger Deep and then comparing notes with my colleagues on the ISS about our remarkable reusable inner-space outer-spacecraft," said Sullivan in a statement released following the trip.

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You've Been in a Fender Bender: Now What?The crunch of cars colliding is an all too familiar sound, even for the best drivers. According to the Federal Highway Administration, there are approximately 6 million car accidents in the US every year. This number will be lower in 2020, with people staying at home and not driving as much, but accidents are still happening. Do you know what to do if you are involved in a crash? Follow these steps.

Safety first. If it's safe to do so, pull your vehicle to the side, out of traffic, in a safe public place. If you suspect road rage may have been in play, exercise caution when engaging with the other driver.

Assess damages. Determine if anyone is hurt and, if medical assistance is needed, call 911. Once injuries are taken care of, survey the damage to your vehicle. Take photos or videos of any damage as well as the crash scene, any obstructions, malfunctioning traffic lights or any other thing that could have played a role in the crash.

Document. Write down the names of everyone involved. For all drivers, record license information, car registration, car make and model as well as insurance policy information. Try to get witness information if possible.

Notify police. Alert law enforcement of the accident. Record names and badge numbers of the officers and make sure you ask how you can get a copy of the accident report. Go to the nearest police station (or see if you can do it online) to file a report if officers don't come to the scene.

Notify the At Fault persons Insurance Company. Do this as soon as possible to start the claim process. Having all the information and documentation from the steps above means you will make the process much smoother.

If you have any questions about any of the steps in the process, we are just a call or email away.

A New Era for Commercial Flight: The Electric Age

In December 1903, the Wright Brothers and their powered aircraft launched the aviation age, a revolutionary epoch of transportation. Now, 117 years later, a new era has dawned thanks to the convergence of high-end technology and a growing industry-wide commitment to a greener future. Heralding the electric age in flight, the world's largest all-electric commercial aircraft successfully completed its first test trip in May 2020. Designed by electric aviation company magniX and AeroTEC, a leading aerospace testing and engineering company, the all-electric Cessna Grand eCaravan 208B took flight at a test center in Moses Lake, Washington. Able to carry nine passengers, the eCaravan is not the first electric plane to successfully take to the air. magniX also took this honor with the flight of a six-seater commercial aircraft back in December 2019. But it's still incredibly significant, as the iconic Caravan has been a workhorse of industry in commercial and goods transportation for decades. The arrival of its electric counterpart means a cheap and zero-emission way of operating middle-mile aircraft to and from smaller airports, opening up a whole new way to move people and packages. According to the Air Transport Action Group, the global aviation industry produced approximately 2 percent of all human-induced CO2 emissions in 2019. That translates to the release of 915 million tons of carbon dioxide. But thanks to this breakthrough in sustainable engineering, the eCaravan will serve as a blueprint for future conversions of additional aircraft to magniX electric propulsion technology. This means existing planes across the world can be retrofitted with the system and, in turn, pave the way for a drastic and necessary reduction in the aviation industry's carbon footprint.