The holidays are typically merry and bright. But despite the best planning, a Grinch-like moment can occur – one that results in an auto insurance or home insurance claim. 

Maybe the family dog bites a caroler. Or, that new flat screen you've always wanted falls out of the back of your truck.  

Here's a peek at how to handle some holiday horrors that could happen to you.

What happens if a Christmas caroler singing "Silent Night" slips and breaks a leg on the walkway to your front door? 

Eric Poe, chief operating officer of CURE Insurance in Princeton, N.J., says your homeowners insurance policy would cover the claim only if your insurer believes you were negligent – for example, you didn't shovel the walkway or left cords and wires for the lighted yard display in the walkway.  

"If the circumstances were not due to your negligence, the claim would probably not be covered and the caroler would need to use their own health insurance pay for their medical costs," he says. 

If you were negligent and your carrier finds you responsible for the accident, Poe says you wouldn't have to pay a deductible.  

"This is covered under your 'bodily injury liability' coverage," he says.  

But this type of claim could lead to a rate increase and possibly your policy not being renewed, Poe says. 

An undercooked turkey or fowl figgie pudding can give your guests more than a tummy ache. They can end up in the hospital with food poisoning. If they don't have health insurance, they may look to you to foot the emergency room bill. 

Tim Gaspar, president of Gaspar Insurance Services in Los Angeles, says you're covered under your home insurance liability policy "as long as you don't have some food contamination exclusion in your policy which I have yet to see."  

Most policies include a medical payments provision, such as $5,000, that you can tap into if necessary.  

You're driving home from the store dreaming of watching the New Year's bowl games on the big-screen TV in your truck cab or car trunk when the box falls out of your vehicle.  

Before crying in your eggnog, check your home insurance policy or call your insurance agent ASAP.  

"Even though it fell out of your auto, this may be covered under your home insurance policy, depending on the type of coverage provided by the carrier," Gaspar says. 

If the holiday vase you mail to Grandma shatters during the delivery process, Poe says you're likely out of luck.  

"Unless someone else like FedEx, UPS or the Post Office packed the item, this would be considered a case of the sender's negligence and insurance wouldn't cover the loss," says Poe. 

It seems Rudolph overshot the landing and took out your fireplace chimney along with a handful of roof shingles.  

If you can find him, you could run the claim through Santa's auto insurance policy to avoid your home insurance rates being reviewed for an increase next year.  

Otherwise, Poe says this would be covered under your homeowners policy – but you'll have to pay your deductible. 

Bill Begal, is the founder and president of Begal Enterprises, a fire and water damage disaster restoration company based in Rockville, Md.  

He says his company has helped customers rebuild their lives after they experienced these holiday-related disasters which were all covered by customers' insurance policies: 

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Very similar Q here, from “bw” 2 weeks ago... suspiciously similar in my view, note same mis-spelling of "immedatly" and "stright"..... is there something I'm missing ?

http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AuKrYotscfJNLU9AkygLvlkhBgx.;_ylv=3?qid=20080505140012AARMzlo&show=7#profile-info-R1bSPxI8aa

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“On Saturday I was the victim of a robbery where I was hit over the head with a baseball bat and had my gold chains stolen.

After the attack i went home with the intention of cleaning myself up a bit as I was covered in blood and then planned on going to the police. At home I ended up passing out and didnt come round till sunday morning and then I went stright to
the police to report the crime.

I have just checked my insurance policy and it says thet theft should be reported to the police immedatly. Do you think that i am going to have trouble getting the insurance company to pay up as I didnt report the crime for 22hours after it happened? Or will it be ok
as I passed out?

If any of you have some advise please advise. Thanks
•2 weeks ago
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Suggest you look at answers to that question.

The regular homeowners' policies include destruction due to disasters like falling trees, fractured pipes, and other unexpected circumstances. Strong winds are also part of the coverage, unless the house is situated in a place that is normally hit by heavy winds like in coastal areas. If you happen to be in this location, there is a homeowners policy for wind-restricted areas and the homeowner will need to avail a different insurance plan.

Other kinds of natural calamities like floods will not be part of the coverage. Normally, if the house in a flood-prone area, the homeowner will need to avail flood insurance plan separately. Destruction due to the insufficient maintenance of the property will not be covered also. Take this for as an example, if the homeowner does not provide protection the wood siding, the policy will not shoulder the expense for the replacement of the siding that is damaged due to this negligence.

Buildings that are not connected to the house like sheds or garages, are normally part of the insurance coverage. In other cases, the policy for these structures is about ten percent of the amount of coverage on the main building.

Moreover, majority of the homeowners' policies include the homeowner's personal things that are found in the house. Thus, if a calamity will occur, aside from shouldering the replacement of the entire house, the holder will also receive the money intended to replace his personal belongings. Normally, personal things can get a rate of fifty to seventy percent of the entire coverage of the building. And also, a lot of insurance plans will also include the items that are not found inside the house which is termed as off-premises coverage. For instance, if there is something stolen from the homeowner while he is not around, the insurance plan will shoulder the expense for the replacement.

Regular homeowners' insurance plans will also cover the value of the landscaping in your home. Things like trees and shrubs are part of the coverage. Lightning and fire are in but not wind or blight. In other cases, these items can have coverage up to 5 percent of the coverage on your house.

The major thing that most individuals are not aware of about homeowners insurance is liability protection. If the plan holder is litigated because of damage to other party's house, homeowners insurance will be liable for the accident. Normally, liability coverage begins at $100,000 and can reach up to millions.

Lastly, the insurance policy does not only include the expense for reconstructing the home when calamities occur, but it can also include more than what people can every think of. Hence, make sure to choose the right policy for you.

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This is the point where NFIP comes into the scenario. To protect their land and houses, people can acquire protection insurance against any accident or misfortune caused by floods through the NFIP. However, this has strings attached to it. You can only get insurance against floods through NFIP if you live in an area which has been labeled as a flood zone, and incentives are being taken to minimize the effects of floods in that area. At the beginning, the people of communities that take part in the NFIP are also allowed to participate in the Emergency Program which offers them only a restricted insurance. However, after a certain period of time when the people are well aware of the situation of flooding, they are allowed to lift their insurance.

Almost all the communities in the State of New York are actively engaged with NFIP. Whether you own a house, condo or even if you are a lease holder, you can get insurance which will guard your assets if hit by a catastrophic flood. Moreover, even the damages resulting such as deterioration related to flood and the casualty accounted for by mudslides. NFIP might even pay claims to dismantle a building if it is inevitable that the building with fall apart or is slowly being dislocated due to the soil erosion. This can help prevent further damages because demolition takes place in a controlled environment, whereas if a flood had struck the losses would be immense.

It takes a month for NFIP coverage to be executed but there are exemptions. It is advised to get the home insurance against floods, especially if you are in a flood-susceptible zone, for a safe future. For the latest offers on flood insurance protection in your area try searching online for a quick, easy list of both providers and plans near you to see what's available now.

If you're stuck and need some help finding good information online try using Ezquoteguide.com for finding the right local insurance information you need right away to help you fulfill your insurance needs.

California is home to many of destructive and devastating natural disasters from wildfires to earthquakes in the US. Because of this, Californians do precautionary measures to help them in the event of catastrophic national disaster. One of which is acquiring home insurance. Many home insurance agencies in California offer fast insurance quotes and even online quoting but how does one choose the right insurance agency? Some insurance agencies claim they have the "friendliest" home insurance quotes but before signing that agreement here are some tips to consider before choosing the right homeowners quotes. It's all about the policies.

Make sure that the insurance agency has a wide and clear policy coverage. Take for example what has recently happened to the Philippines. A major typhoon has left many Filipino homeowners with home insurance that did not cover the mentioned calamity. Their homes were devastated by massive floods due to heavy rain but according to their insurance agencies flood due to heavy rain is an "act of god" which is not included in their list of policy coverage.

According to the department of insurance almost 90% of homeowners do not have earthquake insurance and California being prone to earthquake; it is highly advisable to make sure your home insurance covers such natural disaster. Damages which origin came from natural disaster are covered in certain insurance agencies' policies however there are exceptions some of the significant ones are flood, earthquakes and poor maintenance. So if your home is based in earthquake and wildfire prone areas like in California, financial institution will ask you to purchase earthquake and wildfire insurance.

Find out if your home or possession will be insured for replacement cost or actual value amount.

Replacement cost is the exact amount to be used in repairing or replacing your home and possessions without deducting for depreciation while actual cash value is the exact amount after depreciation that will be used to repair or replace your home or possessions.

The owner's copy of their insurance polices is very crucial in the event that they claim for their insurance. it is highly advisable to keep your copies safe. Avoid it from getting tampered or damaged as it might hinder your claim when the need arises.

Always contact your insurance provider whenever you appraise your home to update you policy accordingly.

Consult your insurance provider to confirm if your policy if covers additional living expenses for a temporary residence if your home is devastated from a disaster and you are unable to live in your home due to the heavy damage it received. This is very important especially to those homeowners who have no relatives living near California.

Most insurance agencies offer "friendly" home insurance quotes to lure prospects to acquire their insurance services. Bear in mind that before signing an insurance deal contract make sure that the insurance agency covers most of the possible contingencies that might cause damages to your home especially in natural disaster prone areas.

A computer graduate and loves to travel. Reading current news in the internet is one of his past times. Taking pictures of the things around him fully satisfies him. He loves to play badminton and his favorite pets are cats and walk with them in the park with some dogs.

You may want to get your free Home Insurance Quotes in California or visit the Reseda Home Insurance Quotes website for more information and ideas.

Home insurance is not required for homeowners unless there is a mortgage involved. However, most people opt to purchase home insurance anyway because its rewards far outweigh its costs. Most people end up needing at least some portion of their home insured at some point, and when the cost of the home is considered, it simply does not make sense to skip home insurance.

Home insurance generally covers the structure of your home. This should cover any damage that occurs from most accidents but not general wear and tear. Storms, fires, and other disasters are usually covered, whereas floods and hurricanes may be extra- it all depends on the individual policy you purchase. This also applies to other structures you have on your property such as garages. Home insurance is very important because no one is immune to these types of disasters.

Home insurance also encompasses your personal property such as the contents of your home. Furniture, clothes and other belongings are usually covered in the case of accidental damage, and this coverage can be very useful if you have some expensive items such as diamond rings. It is important to have appraisals of the most expensive items you own in order to prove their existence and worth. Some home insurance policies will replace these items even if they are lost or damaged outside of the home. Many people consider this a great incentive for purchasing home insurance.

Even if you are not worried about the damages that might occur to your property, home insurance is still a good idea because it covers damages that may be caused to others who are on your property, such as neighbors having an accident in your yard or if your dog attacks someone. This part of your insurance will cover your legal defense costs as well as any lawsuit money awarded to the victims. Lawsuits and legal bills can be quite steep so home insurance is worth it for this reason alone.

Many <a href=\"http://www.aami.com.au/home-insurance/building-insurance-replacement-cover.aspx\">home insurance policies</a> also cover your living expenses if you are forced to live elsewhere temporarily due to one of the damages listed in your policy. So if your home becomes uninhabitable for a period of time, home insurance will cover your hotel stay or temporary rent in another location while repairs are undertaken. In the midst of a disaster, numerous expenses crop up so living expenses are one less worry for those who have home insurance.

Buying a home is a major purchase and without insurance, you can set yourself up to lose a substantial amount of money. Home insurance helps you protect your investment and to rest easy without worrying about what unforeseen circumstances may occur. Home insurance simply makes sense for smart consumers.

About the Author:

AAMI is a leading car insurance, home insurance, compulsory third party (CTP) and home building insurer.

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