Comments on: This is Amazingly Disgusting

By: Heather

Heather — Fri, 21 Oct 2005 10:42:12 +0000

As of today, Farmers a) claims that they never actually denied the claim, b) they are only waiting for the King County Sheriff to supply the police report for same, and c) they will "of course" pursue a speedy settling of Ms. Adams' claim against them once they have completed their own investigation. But they do seem to be spinning just a wee liddle bit: Ms. Adams is in possession of a June 22nd letter from them that "denies" (their word) that scum Testa's actions and consequences of same were an accident. This is tantamount to refusing her claim. Also: from what I understand, the Farmers policy is Ms. Adams' own policy, not her employers'. While her initial care and lost wages, etc., are covered by Labor & Industries (workman's comp) insurance, that coverage is limited in duration and doesn't deal with the full scope of her damages. Testa is gonna be in prison a good long while, so it's not realistic to suggest that she sue him. Meanwhile, she had Uninsured Motorist insurance. What the hell is UMI for, if not for this kind of accident? Ms. Adams is not attempting to get rich by "double dipping." She hasn't asked Farmers to pay her for pain and suffering, she isn't asking them to do anything more than that which they promised to do when they wrote the contract with her and TOOK HER MONEY. She isn't a leech on the goddamn shareholders, she is one of millions of people who've paid into Farmers Insurance and its affiliates, and she of all people ever caught by circumstances *deserves* to have her claim covered. Farmers is just trying to weasel its way out of its obligations because it doesn't want the bottom line hit that hard. Yay for the WA State Insurance Commissioner and all the media for not letting them get away with cheating this lady.

By: David

David — Wed, 19 Oct 2005 20:32:29 +0000

The Washington State insurance commissioner flat out told Farmer's "you WILL pay this claim - you have no legal standing to deny it." Farmer's has until noon tomorrow (10/20) to respond

By: Kathryn

Kathryn — Wed, 19 Oct 2005 06:17:48 +0000

Farmers thought it could turn down Ethel's claim and she would go away. Instead the public found out and is outraged. Farmers is sending out spin trying to fix the PR nightmare, but because it isn't telling the truth the mess is getting worse. Today on talk radio the Washington insurance commissioner said Farmer's conduct was "unconscionable and against public policy" and demanded immediate action. Farmers can't hide from that.

By: katrina

katrina — Wed, 19 Oct 2005 02:53:44 +0000

..and everyone keeps saying "sue the driver"...HE WAS UNINSURED!!! THAT'S WHERE HER "UNINSURED MOTORIST COVERAGE" SHOULD STEP IN!!!!!!!!!!

By: katrina

katrina — Wed, 19 Oct 2005 02:50:04 +0000

Give me a break. When you buy a policy, the insurance companies tell you what is covered. They also tell you that they have authority to determine what constitutes an “accident” or not.

The insurance company never told the employer any of this....and every time I buy an insurance policy,,,,I'm never informed of slimey loopholes that they won't cover.

To this jerk....

How would you feel if a person bumped a car into your lane and killed your whole family and you had 500,000 in medical bills and they said,,,,"sorry, this was an intentional act...you're going bankrupt and have to pay all of these medical bills?"

I think you would change your mind.

And what kind of lesson does ethel adams have to learn? I think it stands out clear as day....
DON'T GET UNINSURED MOTORIST COVERAGE...BECAUSE WE WON'T COVER!!!

By: katrina

katrina — Wed, 19 Oct 2005 02:39:01 +0000

..oh, and by the way...saying that everyone knows what's in the insurance policy they buy.....her employers that bought the policy DID NOT know that their employees would not be covered in this situation. It's NOT in the policy idiot. It's legislature that no one has even heard of until this kind of thing happens.

By: katrina

katrina — Wed, 19 Oct 2005 02:36:18 +0000

To Crombolti,

You are an idiot. Saying personal insurance policies don't cover her while she is on the job. She was driving a company car with 2 million dollars _UNINSURED motorist coverage, which her employer paid to cover their workers for exactly this reason.

You hope she learned her lesson? What lesson is this? That she shouldn't have been doing her delivery job that day?

She had the coverage for the uninsured motorist. There is absolutely no intent to harm her and her insurance should cover.

Plus the guy is bipolar and mentally insane. How can he make a rational decision?

I think if you or someone you loved was almost killed by a crazy person on the road and broke 17 bones in your body, that you're view would really change.

But my view of you....you're probably a sado-masochistic ......off!!

Maybe if Ethel Adams had 20 bones in her body broke, or died,,,, she would have "learned her lesson".

Stupid people make me mad.

By: Eliza G

Eliza G — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 20:14:40 +0000

"She must have been at work. Personal auto policies donât pay for injuries sustained on the job. Plus, you donât get to double-dip insurance; that, as we know, is built into every insurance policy." FYI - she had a commercial policy with a 2 million dollar limit - she is not trying to double dip, she is working with L&I and the Washington Insurance Commission to get what she is entitled to, not MORE than she is entitled to. Wow you guys are cynical, but who can blame you? Today's development is the mass email canned response from Farmers that states they have "never denied her claim" while the WA Insurance Commissioner's Office has a five-page denial from Farmers.

By: Bill Quick

Bill Quick — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 03:42:53 +0000

If you have the bad luck to be standing next to the target of an assassination attempt, and you end up taking a bullet, you arent the victim of an accident.

This is the sort of thinking common to insurance adjusters and mass tort lawyers that has helped to keep their reputations right up there with serial rape-murderes and diseased child molesters in the public mind.

By: Chris Black

Chris Black — Mon, 17 Oct 2005 20:28:03 +0000

As I understand it, Farmers are part of the Zurich Group. Zurich Municipal are a big player in the market in the UK for councils and local authorities insurance, including the council where I serve. (I'd better admit to all you conservative folks that I'm a Liberal Democrat , but quite a reasonable chap , really). I've asked one of our council officers to see if the same dodgy exclusions would apply to any of our staff in such a dreadful situation. I would also like to see if there's any international leverage that could be applied from the UK - maybe we could get a lot of councils asking questions. However it would be hard from the UK to keep a check on what's going on with this case. You've done a public service in publicising this, could you keep us informed of any developments?

By: ron

ron — Mon, 17 Oct 2005 03:46:26 +0000

This is a situation like many others where a company has the law on its side. When a company gets bad publicity (price gouging, loop holes to get out of expected obligations, etc.), some people remember. I remember the gas stations that gouged on 9-11, and never traded with them again. I do not know the facts of this one, just what I read on the link, but this is PR disaster in the making, and Farmers better get ahead of it.

By: Kent

Kent — Sat, 15 Oct 2005 18:26:24 +0000

How are you not a victim of an accident? Did you mean to get hit with an assassinâs bullet? It was an accident to you.

No, it was incredibly bad luck. This is not the same thing as an accident.

If the bullet kills you, your death certificate will list the circumstances of death as homicide, not mischance. And the assassin can be charged with first-degree murder, not involuntary manslaughter. (Though it will probably be plea-bargained to voluntary manslaughter.)

By: Farmers Sucks

Farmers Sucks — Sat, 15 Oct 2005 14:12:47 +0000

Boycott Farmers Insurance! Farmers Insurance Sucks! http://www.farmersinsurancegroupsucks.com/

By: sk

sk — Sat, 15 Oct 2005 11:27:23 +0000

If you have the bad luck to be standing next to the target of an assassination attempt, and you end up taking a bullet, you arenât the victim of an accident.

How are you not a victim of an accident? Did you _mean_ to get hit with an assassin's bullet? It was an accident to you.

By: Herb

Herb — Sat, 15 Oct 2005 01:58:35 +0000

Most everyone knows that insurance companies will do everything possible including lying, cheating and almost stealing to get out of paying a claim. I compare insurance companies to gamblers. Some will take their losses and quietly go from the table, some will cheat to win, some will stack the cards against the other players, and a lot of them will pull almost pull a gun and shoot you if they lose. Like most people, they don,t like to lose, but the insurance companies will pull every trick in the books to keep from paying up if they do lose.
The best way to do business with an insurance company is to have everything typed in language that one can understand (not the lawyer talk small print) and have them sign the document with witnesses. In other words, "Don't Trust them".
I have changed insurance companies many times when the raised my rates after they had to pay claims for their losses they had from such things as hurricanes and tornados.
Insurance companies are no better than a bunch of "Old time crooked riverboat gamblers"
If you play their game, count on getting it put to you.