We’ve just returned from our annual trek to South Carolina, a much needed rest that always begins and ends with a road trip along I-95. Being a major transit route for commercial traffic along the east coast of the US, we spend much of our time behind, in front of, or going around tractor-trailer combinations, “trucks” for short. Since my husband is a former truck driver (who still maintains his CDL license to this day) I’ve learned much about the possible issues one of these behemoths of the road can face. I’ve learned to differentiate the smell of a tire burning off from that of the brakes locking up, and I now include in my lexicon the terms “jake brake” and sleeper cab. Of course, as we go down the road, in the back of my mind is the insurance products we sell to cover these vehicles. I always find myself looking at the names on the cabs and truck bodies. Is this an owner-operator? What are they hauling? Are all of their tires sound? (yes, I look)
Then, recently after a big storm hit our area, my mother came home and told quite the tale. She had been caught when the downpour hit, and pulled off the road, as she could not see far enough in front of her car to drive safely. Upon pulling into a Walmart lot, she found herself with a few other smart drivers, facing a parked big rig trailer, with no tractor on the front. You see these things here and there, usually waiting to be picked up again, or storing goods temporarily for the place it is parked at. Either way, as she sat, her car being pelted by the deluge, a sudden bolt of lightning flashed and struck the trailer she was looking at. She told us that she sat, stunned, and watched as it immediately caught fire. Her car being a sufficient distance from it, and not being able to get back onto the road, she felt she had no choice but to stay where she was. A few minutes later, the fire department showed up and began fighting the blaze.
Of course, upon hearing this, my first reaction was to ask her if she had recoreded the sequence of events on her cell phone for my blog! I think my mother desperately needs a new cell phone, as hers is one of those that only makes phone calls. Imagine! Oh what a great video that would have been. Well, at least I have some pictures, which I went back and took after the fact.
As you can see, it was a total loss. I can’t tell if there was any cargo in the trailer, though my first guess is there was not. But it’s hard to say. Considering how hot this must have burned, the cargo may have become smoke in the wind. Or the rain, as it were.
Of course, this blog is about insurance, and I do sell insurance. And I do wonder why the remains of this trailer are still sitting in the Walmart parking lot to this day. There are numerous ways it, and what may have been in it, could have been covered. What if it was a hazardous item? Was it covered under cargo insurance? In transit, comprehensive, off premises property? What about the clean up? Who’s on the hook for liability right now if some child decides the wreckage would make a great set of monkey bars?
There’s a lot to it. That’s why you need an insurance agent, like me. To sort it out. Still wish I had that video though.
Avalon
Beautifully written. That wreckage is unnecessary danger (not to mention a liability nightmare.) I hope it got towed away.
They did actually remove it, finally, after about a month. I imagine that’s how long the claim investigation took. But I agree, it did pose quite the danger as an attractive nuisance of sorts. At least it should have been taped off.