On August 4th of 2011 an older gentleman made a mistake - or his truck malfunctioned – and he and his truck were propelled through the glass window of a Laundromat in San Antonio, Texas. Thankfully, there was only a minor injury to a little girl in the store at the time of the incident, who was apparently cut from some flying glass.
Vehicles that drive through the fronts of Laundromats are – surprisingly - not that uncommon of a happening in Laundromat insurance claims. Since parking spaces are usually located at the front of Laundromats, it does make sense that if someone pushes the gas instead of the brake, forgets they have their vehicle in drive instead of park, or thinks they are in reverse instead of drive, they could drive through the front of your Laundromat.
Wheel stops, sidewalks and plate glass will not stop a vehicle from entering your store. From the story reported by KSAT12 news reporter Katrina Webber, there was seating just inside the glass storefront which had been occupied just moments before the event.
In a witness statement by Sherri Tucker, as reported by KSAT12 News, "I just heard a big crash and turned around," Tucker said. "All I could think about were the kids at that window where he crashed. I ran back to see if they were OK." Fortunately, no one was seated in the benches by the front windows at the time.
Laundromat - or as they say in Texas, Washateria - owners might want to consider the possibility of vehicle crashes through their store fronts when placing their customer seating. It took about thirty minutes to clean up the glass shards, probably $600.00 for an emergency window board-up service, and about $2,500.00 to replace glass and storefront damage, but it could been much worse.
Insurance liability issues will likely be taken care of by the insurance carrier of the truck owner, but in the event he is not properly insured, then the Laundromat owner’s glass coverage, medical payments (treatment for the little girl), potential claims of liability, and property damage coverages could all come into play.
A good insurance policy from a good insurance company developed and sold by a good Laundromat insurance agent makes Laundromat owners feel protected at moments like these.
Wheel stops, sidewalks and plate glass will not stop a vehicle from entering your store. From the story reported by KSAT12 news reporter Katrina Webber, there was seating just inside the glass storefront which had been occupied just moments before the event.
In a witness statement by Sherri Tucker, as reported by KSAT12 News, "I just heard a big crash and turned around," Tucker said. "All I could think about were the kids at that window where he crashed. I ran back to see if they were OK." Fortunately, no one was seated in the benches by the front windows at the time.
Laundromat - or as they say in Texas, Washateria - owners might want to consider the possibility of vehicle crashes through their store fronts when placing their customer seating. It took about thirty minutes to clean up the glass shards, probably $600.00 for an emergency window board-up service, and about $2,500.00 to replace glass and storefront damage, but it could been much worse.
Insurance liability issues will likely be taken care of by the insurance carrier of the truck owner, but in the event he is not properly insured, then the Laundromat owner’s glass coverage, medical payments (treatment for the little girl), potential claims of liability, and property damage coverages could all come into play.
A good insurance policy from a good insurance company developed and sold by a good Laundromat insurance agent makes Laundromat owners feel protected at moments like these.
