Will insurance company deny my claim on a stolen vehicle?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
Will insurance company deny my claim on a stolen vehicle?
My got stolen in my parking lot with the keys in it. The auto start for the vehicle was disabled so I had to use the key to warm up the car because I have 2 kids and I’m not going to let them freeze in a cold car. Do you thing they will deny my claim? I know the keys are in the car but if the auto start was working I would need to use the keys to warm up my car.
Asked on March 25, 2017 under Insurance Law, Alaska
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 7 years ago | Contributor
There is no way to know for sure if they will deny your claim, but it is possible that they will. Leaving your car unattended and running with keys in it is negligent, or unreasonably careless, and clearly contributed to the theft; generally, insurance does not need to pay for claims to the extent they were caused by something unreasonably careless which the insured did, since you cannot cause your own loss and be paid for it. Therefore, if they become aware of the keys being in the car, it is possible they could use that as a basis to deny the claim.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.