2023 Author: Eric Donovan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-21 15:44
The number of car arson in Berlin is becoming more and more dramatic. In the night of Wednesday alone, 17 vehicles were damaged again. Concerned motorists wonder who will pay for the damage if the worst comes to the worst.
The series of nocturnal car arson attacks in Berlin, which has been going on for years, is taking on dramatic proportions. In the night of Wednesday alone, 17 vehicles were damaged: 14 were directly set on fire, and the flames spread to 3 others. Nobody got hurt. The police suspect again a political motive of the unknown perpetrators, as they announced. The district of Charlottenburg, which is largely considered to be middle-class, was also affected again. Just the night before, 11 cars had burned, and 7 others were also affected.
Reports of burning cars were repeatedly received by officials on Wednesday night. The police and fire brigade hardly followed. It started with a truck in the Spandau district and later continued in Charlottenburg. The arsonists also struck in the districts of Moabit and Friedrichshain.
Insurance covers damage
But who can manage the damage in the worst-case scenario when strangers set a car on fire? Usually the insurance. "This also applies if the car was set on fire willfully by strangers," said Oskar Riedmeyer, Vice President of the German Lawyers' Association. The insurance here assumes fire and not vandalism damage. Both partial and fully comprehensive insurance are therefore responsible for the damage. However, only the current value of the vehicle is replaced.
The situation is different if the car was only damaged by the arson. Although such damage is usually covered by fully comprehensive insurance, it is not covered by a partial comprehensive insurance policy. "Here the car should burn out completely," said the insurance expert. The insured person must pay for smashed windows, charred seats or scorched paint. For damage to cars next to a burning vehicle, the injured party usually has to dig into their own pockets.
Fill in the damage report correctly
If there is frequent arson in a particular area, policyholders should be careful. If, for example, a discount for garage use has been agreed with the insurance company, the car must also be parked there. "Otherwise the insurance company can reject the regulation." If you don't have a garage, you can park your car on the side of the road. "That alone cannot be viewed by the insurance company as gross negligence."
When reporting a claim, those affected should ensure that they provide correct information. For example, the mileage should be reasonably correct. “It doesn't depend on the individual kilometer,” said Riedmeyer. However, the deviation should not be more than 1000 kilometers if the customer wants to avoid trouble with the regulation. Previous damage should also not be concealed. The vehicles are often inspected by an insurance expert who can discover such damage. (AG / dpa)
