Riskmas Vacation

Riskmas Vacation
Risk Elves From Lockton ® Analyze A Full-Blown, Four-Alarm
Holiday Emergency
December 2014 • Lockton ® Companies
With great responsibility, come great risks. This is also true when
Contributing
Elves
applied to the classic holiday film “National Lampoon’s Christmas
Vacation.” A veritable nightmare for any insurance professional,
Joe Branstetter
this movie captures just how badly things can go when the
Cody Cutter
Andy DiOrio
Griswolds enter a full-blown, four-alarm holiday emergency.
Sabaria Christie
Celeste Gassman
No one has ever put more of their blood, sweat, tears, and copious amounts
Shannon Hilding
of eggnog into making a perfect family Christmas as Clark Wilhelm
Susan Hill
Griswold, Jr. As he sets standards that no family activity can live up to,
Kevin Klein
Tausha Lien
he has placed the mantle of the “Best Christmas Ever” squarely on his
Tyler Norris
shoulders, piling on more responsibility as things inevitably take a turn
Patrick O’Brien
toward turmoil.
With acknowledgement
to “National Lampoon’s
Christmas Vacation” (1989)
The end message, however, is something to be admired. No matter how bad
a perfect plan goes awry, or how many fires, SWAT teams, and potentially
contagious surprise guests invade your home, in the end all you need is
family to have the perfect Christmas.
Luckily for the Griswold family, there is one aspect of this holiday that will
not go wrong: their insurance coverage. Clark’s bumbling has been mitigated
significantly with the help of a team of Lockton Associates, who have
provided options to protect the Griswolds from Clark’s general buffoonery.
They had their work cut out for them, but in the end, the Griswolds had the
hap, hap, happiest Christmas ever with all the coverage they needed.
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MOST BLUNDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR
1.
Claim Scenario
Biggest and Best Christmas Tree
Having the biggest and best Christmas tree
is the quickest way to show everyone they need to be
keeping up with you, and not Todd and Margo Chester
It’s all part of
the experience!
next door. In doing so, risking frostbite or being frozen
from the waist down is a negligible concern (“It’s all
part of the experience.”) The Griswolds don’t want their
pristine tree to be lost, damaged in transit, or in any way
harmed once picked out, even if the tree is a little full
with a lot of sap.
Coverage Applicable—Inland Marine (Cargo)
People bring trees home from near and far, whether it’s a remote forest or a local store parking lot. It doesn’t matter
how long the trip; there is always a chance the tree can be stolen or damaged along the way. Overloading the Griswold
family station wagon may be cheaper, but this opens the family up to a large exposure. Clark should pay to have someone
transport the tree, given its size. After all, the tree isn’t going in the yard; it’s going in the living room.
TREE LIMBS ROASTING ON A CIGAR FIRE
2.
Claim Scenario
The Most Beautiful Tree in the World
Uncle Lewis loves a stogie after dinner.
Unbeknownst to him, Cousin Eddie’s dog, Snot, drank all the
water from under the Griswold family Christmas tree, leaving
it dryer than the turkey they just had for their holiday meal. As
Uncle Lewis lit up his sweet cigar, the tree burst into flames
faster than Cousin Eddie in a church. All that remains of the
former “most beautiful tree in the world” is a sad, charred
skeleton of a trunk and the heavy scent of burned pine.
Coverage Applicable—Property
Christmas trees are a festive part of people’s homes during the
holiday season. Property coverage will assure the Griswold’s
personal property, including the Christmas tree and gifts beneath it is covered from anything that may destroy it. Cigarinduced inferno or otherwise.
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December 2014 • Lockton Companies
3.
NOT SO SILENT NIGHT
Claim Scenario
One of Cousin Eddie’s finer traits is frugality. Instead
That There’s an RV!
of paying money to empty his waste in a legal dumping
ground, he found a nearby storm drain to expunge his
noxious, toxic slop into the unsuspecting sewers. After
all, his RV’s toilet was full, so what is a mobile houseguest
supposed to do?
Coverage Applicable—No Coverage
Since this was an intentional act by Cousin Eddie, the
pollution loss exposure will not be covered under any policy. Not to mention if the sewer fills with gas, we pity the person
who lights a match within 10 yards of it. However, if his waste would have accidently leaked all over the highway on his
drive to the Griswold’s home, a pollution policy would provide coverage.
IT’S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE TAKEOUT
4.
Claim Scenario
The Griswold family china has been an exquisite metaphor for the
regal standard that the family holds itself to, albeit often coming up short. After a
neighborhood squirrel embedded in the tree made a run for it, the justly provoked
Snot made a not-so-graceful leap off the china in his pursuit of the furry varmint.
Cousin Eddie did not join in the pursuit, namely because he had heard squirrels were
high in cholesterol. After this slobber-fueled chase, all that was left of the china was a
pile of broken memories on the floor.
Coverage Applicable—Inland Marine (Fine Arts)
In addition to this year’s membership to Jelly of the Month Club that Clark received
from his boss, he also received the opportunity to purchase an Inland Marine—Fine
Arts policy through an insurance carrier at a reduced price. While they can’t fix Snot,
at least the Griswold’s priceless china collection will be replaced.
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Squirrel!
December 2014 • Lockton Companies
5.
I’M DREAMING OF AN ICE CHRISTMAS
Claim Scenario
Clark Griswold always has the best of intentions,
except when it comes to his snooty neighbors.
No, Aunt Bethany, Those Are Christmas Lights
While he was working on the Christmas lights,
he slipped and almost fell off the roof. Luckily,
Clark used his cat-like reflexes to grab the gutter,
managing to catch himself before tumbling into
the bushes below. However, in the process, the
gutter dislodged and hurled a javelin of frozen
water through the Chester’s window and broke their
stereo system, in addition to ruining their carpet.
Coverage Applicable—General
Liability
Accidents can happen when putting up Christmas lights. General Liability
coverage will protect Clark from having to pay property claims for damage
to his neighbor’s stereo and window. With the money he saved, he’ll be
able to help Cousin Eddie provide presents for his kids this year. We would
recommend a strong fungal cream for Rocky’s lip.
© 2014 Lockton, Inc. All rights reserved.
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December 2014 • Lockton Companies
6.
DECK THE BOSS WITH BOUGHS OF HOLLY
Claim Scenario
Clark has been counting on his holiday bonus this year to fund the newest
upgrade to his house: a pool. He was particularly disappointed when all he
received was a one-year membership to the Jelly of the Month club, despite
The Gift That Keeps
on Giving
the fact that it’s the gift that keeps on giving throughout the whole year.
This put him into a fit of rage as he ranted about his boss, Frank Shirley’s
“Cheap, lying, no good, rotten, low- life, snake-licking, dirt-eating, inbred,
ignorant, blood-sucking, dog-kissing, brainless, hopeless, heartless” demeanor
while countless people watched. Somebody get that man some Tylenol.
Coverage Applicable—General Liability/
Personal & Advertising Injury
Jelly of
the Month
Since Clark knew that some of the adjectives he used to slander his boss
were untrue—specifically “snake-licking” and “blood-sucking”—the
Griswolds would be covered through Coverage B of the General Liability
policy—Personal and Advertising Injury. After all, Clark will want to take
back all he said once he hears his boss is not only reinstating bonuses, but
giving him an extra 20 percent.
While it’s unlikely that your holiday mishaps will add up to the four-alarm disaster at the
Griswold’s, remember that preparing the proper insurance coverage can help protect your
home from the holidays. Plus, if you’re looking for any last-minute gift ideas for loved ones,
it serves as a better substitute than taking somebody from their happy, holiday slumber
over there on Melody Lane.
© 2014 Lockton, Inc. All rights reserved.
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www.lockton.com