Incident Reports

Football

Whilst going in for a tackle the insured, a forklift truck driver, broke his ankle and was taken to hospital by ambulance. The ankle was put in plaster and the doctor signed the insured off of work for eight weeks to rest and receive treatment. This meant that the insured was unable to work during this time without sick pay due to the employers policy.

Kitesurfing

Whilst kitesurfing, the insured experienced equipment failure and ran into trouble. Unable to control his kite the insured was blown into a nearby house on the coastline causing personal injury to himself and damage to roof and fencing of the property.

Kitesurfing

Whilst kitesurfing in medium winds, the insured's powerkite became disconnected and became caught on the mast of a 30ft yacht. The kite proceeded to pull the yacht over and break the mast.

Mountain Biking

After a days riding off road the insured cut the corner on her way home and collided with a car causing damage to the bumper and bonnet. (She was fortunately not seriously injured!)

Mountain Biking

Whilst out tackling a challenging dissent the insured hit a large tree root sticking out of the ground at speed, which catapulted him from his bike breaking 7 ribs and fracturing his pelvis. After a short period of hospitalisation the insured spent his recovery time in a wheelchair, unable to work.

Paragliding

Whilst attempting take-off from Table Mountain, South Africa a sudden gust of wind dumped the insured against the mountainside causing serious injury. He was transported by air ambulance to a local hospital for a short stay before being repatriated to the UK.

Rugby

After a wayward tackle during a Sunday league amateur rugby union match the insured was badly injured resulting in serious damage to the player’s vertebrae causing him to be permanently disabled. After a long stay in hospital the insured was unable to return to his job as a tradesman and was required to install a stair lift, as well as other alterations, in his home.

Golf

The High Court ruled in 1998 that golfers were liable for shots that cause injury, no matter how slight the risk. This ruling opened the way for personal liability claims against golfers after a lorry driver who was hit in the eye by a golf ball, and subsequently lost his licence, successfully sued for damages. The number of claims against golfers has tripled over the past five years. Some recent claims include injuries caused by runaway buggies and a claim from a farmer who sued a golf club because stray balls were injuring his livestock. Many people believe that they are adequately covered by their household insurance but that is rarely the case. Insurers reckon that only about 150,000 of Britain's estimated four million golfers have specialist policies.