Last spring one of my clients in the Lake Highlands area of Dallas called me. There’d been some pretty strong winds that had swept through north Texas, similar to what we’ve had this spring, and a section of his wood fence had blown over. It had happened to be the section that separated his back yard from his neighbor’s back yard. We discussed options on how to handle this with the first option being whether or not he should file a claim.
On a Sunday in February, Sheri (my wife) and I had breakfast at Cindi’s Deli in Dallas with Jordan & Christine (my son and daughter in law). The two of them were in town and this gave us some nice time together and to catch up. They presented us with a Valentine’s Day card that happened to have a picture of a sonogram showing they were expecting their first child. I was completely caught off guard but incredibly excited for them and us. This is the first Wise grandbaby and I’m thrilled!
In August of 2012, Preston Carter, a Los Angeles centenarian (he was 100 years old at the time of the accident), injured nine children and two adults when he backed his car onto a sidewalk. The injuries were serious but thankfully, no one died. Mr. Carter simply misjudged what he was doing. He thought he was turning onto a street instead of backing onto a sidewalk full of parents and children buying snacks from a sidewalk vendor. According to the Los Angeles Times, Mr. Carter had a valid driver’s license and a clean record. The LA Police Department did not file any charges but they did look into his competency to keep a driver’s license.
My youngest son, Jonathan, and his girlfriend, Olivia, were driving in the Lake Highlands areas of Dallas two weeks ago. The rain was coming down in sheets when they approached an intersection. Coming from the opposite direction, was a Jeep being driven by a high school student. He did not see Olivia and Jonathan and made an unprotected left turn in front of them. Olivia slammed on her brakes which kept her from hitting the Jeep head on or along the driver’s side. She was unable to miss the back corner and ripped his bumper off while wrinkling the hood and passenger front fender of her car. The good news is no one was hurt!
I have the honor of providing coverage for a couple who recently moved to Dallas from Fort Worth. Their decision was driven so they would be closer to the wife’s clients and his office. Instead of selling their home though, they decided to lease it to another family. Before doing that, he called me to discuss what they needed to do insurance wise on their Fort Worth home and their Dallas home, one of the loft apartments near down town.
ast week we looked at the insurance lessons we could learn from the fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas on April 17th. The explosion destroyed the plant, killed 15 people, injured 200 and damaged or destroyed 350 homes, a school, an apartment building and a nursing home. Preliminary estimates of the damage and destruction were pegged at $100 million.
I was 14 or 15 at the time and sitting in the back seat of my dad’s 1972 Pontiac Grand Am. My two younger sisters were on the back seat with me while my youngest sister sat on my mom’s lap in the front passenger seat. No one had a car seat back then and most of us rode in our cars without buckling our seat belts.
Every couple of months, I get a call from a realtor, an insurance agent, or a mortgage loan officer. The stories are variations on a theme; they have a client that’s trying to buy a home but there’s one little issue that’s threatening to derail the close. Usually these gotchas present themselves when the home buyer has found their dream home only to discover their current insurer is unable to insure it. This usually is not discovered until two weeks or less before the scheduled close and creates a mad scramble to find insurance for the buyer’s dream home. They call me.
On Wednesday, April 17, a fire broke out at the West Fertilizer Company in West, Texas, a community of 2,849 about 70 miles south of Dallas. 10 volunteer firemen and two people who joined them responded to the calls that began being fielded by the 911 call center at 7:33. As first responders, they began to assess the massive fire and plan how to begin putting out the blaze. They were killed moments later from the explosion that occurred at 7:51 pm.
What was the first word that popped into your mind when you read the title? Safe, slow, controlled? Or was it aggressive, fast, exciting? I don’t ask this question anymore because most people described how they drive. They weren’t thinking in terms of a type or class of driver. Needless to say, some of the answers I received were both humorous and telling.
Subscribe to my newsletter by filling the form below.
A confirmation email will be sent to your mailbox: please read the instructions to complete the subscription.
