Her neighbor had died... his corpse sat there rotting, he was dead for days.
The autopsy report found the 34-year old likely overdosed"... His body was "moderately to severely decomposed."
And over time, the decomposition allowed bodily fluids to leak, onto his floor, through the ceiling, eventually onto Sylvia and her things."The smell is nothing like you've ever smelled before. It's not like a dead animal, it's not like rotten food or something.. it's just something beyond... You can't even describe it," says Sylvia. A biohazard team removed furniture and deodorized the place. But she says the smell of death lingered. It already had seeped into clothes, bedding and her mattress.
Her insurance company put her up in a hotel for two weeks until she could move — but refused to replace her belongings. Apparently, corpse fluid is just not covered.
"Unfortunately, the blood and bodily fluid damage to your contents is not one of the 17 named perils covered in your policy," said the letter she received from Farmer's Insurance.
CBS13 interviewed Farmer's spokesperson about the issue, and he said that there really isn't an insurance policy that covers corpse fluid damage. It just doesn't happen very often. In this case, after being contacted by the media, they decided to make an exception, and are now considering a change to include bodily fluids.
Call Kurtis Investigates: Corpse Un-Covered (With Video) [CBS13]
]]>Must be some bad stuff!
]]>If I have a manufacturer's warranty on my vehicle's powertrain, should GM also be responsible to fix the dents in my door?
]]>Tell me about it. I think waking up with it on your face is worse than the property damage. Hello counseling!
]]>The insurance company is not required to cover this, but that doesn't mean it's wrong if they do.
]]>*can't say for sure as I haven't seen every policy out there, but I imagine there'd be few exceptions.
]]>Also, notice how I actually didn't exaggerate by saying you said it 20453453453 times, or that I speak for everyone else as you seem to claim?
]]>@WolfBaconFlavorMANGURT_GitEmSteveDave: I've done lots of work with patients in the hospital who have really bad wounds. While I'm not sure the smell is quite on par with that of a decomposing corpse, it gets really bad. When you walk by the hallway outside the room and can TASTE the stench, that's how you know the wound's pretty bad. Ugh.
]]>Hmmm, corpse bukkake...
]]>Cops have weird humor.
PS - Kilz is great stuff.
]]>Named peril policies are cheaper, so make sure price is not your only consideration when you are buying a policy.
]]>However, insurance companies are pretty good at making their fine print unambiguous.
]]>I mean, c'mon, who hasn't had a little corpse fluid drip on their face? What's the big deal?
]]>@pcyr: I agree pcyr, knowing something about insurance myself, most renter's policies are "named peril" policies, and unfortunately, "corpse leaking" isn't one of them. This is why when you buy an insurance policy for your home or apartment, you should always try to get a "all risk" or "open peril" policy which would have covered this, and the price difference usually isn't too much.
The problem is when people are being advised by their agent to buy the higher coverage, they just blindly assume that he's tryng to raise their price to get a bigger cut himself. Then they wake up covered in dead body fluids....
]]>Long story, but bear with me.
He was a sweet guy, but a recluse, and we lived in a fireproofed, concrete high rise. We didn't smell anything till the porter went in to check on him. Once the door was opened the smell filled the floor and there was no ventilation for it to dissipate.
New York also has a little known law that will not allow ANYONE into the apartment before next of kin. The police went in, removed the body, then sealed the door with a huge label. No one was allowed to go in and cleanup the aftermath.
Our insurance company didn't even know where to start. Nothing in our apartment was actually damaged, but that odor just lingered and lingered. And yeah, you can't describe it. It's almost like a overpowering rotten fruit and meat smell. It's not nice.
The woman in the post was lucky that they even paid for her hotel stay.
We ended up moving two months later. The "next of kin" never came. Which is another sad story.
]]>I agree with others that the insurance company should NOT have paid this. It wasn't a named peril, and that sucks, but if you want all-inclusive coverage, then you pay extra and get all-inclusive coverage.
]]>Wouldn't damage caused by decomposing body fluid be considered a bio-hazard and therefore covered? Maybe Farmers Insurance should hire more competent actuaries.
]]>Means the only thing leaking in here is rain. Lots of it, though... :/
]]>@lowercase: Most of them are time-stamped within a few minutes of each other, so assuming one doesn't refresh after taking a few minutes to read the article and post a comment (like me, for instance), there may be other comments posted already that one hasn't seen yet. Just saying.
]]>I have never been happier to live in a 1 story apartment. I am also going to reread my renter's insurance policy.
]]>Insurance laws generally state that if the contract is confusing, the insured gets the benefit of the doubt, because the insurer wrote the contract, and its up to them to make it clear.
Which is why coverage for contents is spelled out very clearly. Named Perils (covered only for these things), and all risk (covered for everything but these things). They don't leave a lot of room for interpretation.
If one could argue body fluids fit under something that is covered, perhaps they can use the "contract isn't clear" rule to get paid. Plus, there is a whole bunch of things called "ensuing damage" (not covered for floods, but if a flood causes a fire you are covered, etc) that perhaps they could argue.
Insurance companies lose most of their money from punitive damages. Paying billions for deny claims in the millions (or thousands). Some companies would pay just to get it over with.
]]>Suddenly, though, I am SO HAPPY that I'm in a single-family house. The worst we got was a dead bird.
]]>I had the misfortune of finding a family member who had been dead for a week. The scent is indescrible as the article said. I can't compare it to anything.
It was in EVERYTHING and wouldn't come out even if washed. I have papers from inside the place and 15 years later I can still smell it in them.
I would move too if I were this lady. Even if the smell doesnt linger for some reason I would have the heebiejeebies to the nth degree.
]]>So they paid it after all? so now all renters' insurance policies will cover this type of thing?
I'm finally going to rent that room at the old folks home now!!!
]]>@OPRAH: I was good and ready to blame the OP until I read that it dripped on her FACE!
But really, wouldn't it raise red flags if you called an insurance company and requested coverage for "blood and bodily fluid damage"?
Me: "Hi. I'd like to get a renter's insurance policy"
Insurance Co: "Sure, how much coverage"
Me: "I dunno, say $15k? And, in addition, to theft, fire and water damage, I'd like to be covered against damage from blood and other bodily fluids"
Insuance Co: "..."
Me: "Hello?"
Insurance Co: "Why would you need to cover against that?"
Me: "Erm... in case my upstair neighbor overdoses and his body decomposes and the fluids drip on my face and belongings while I am asleep"
Insurance Co: "..."
Yes, they are amazing.
]]>Renter's insurance is so ridiculously cheap it makes no sense to cheap out on it. You could easily get a policy that covers $25,000 worth of belongings for under $20/month. That said, $25,000 isn't necessarily a lot of coverage if you contemplate replacing every piece of furniture, article of clothing and all housewares you own. Not to mention things like tools, electronics, musical instruments, jewelry…
]]>So... your best friend gets drunk, spills a pitcher of water all over your plasma TV... covered.
Your best friend gets drunk and takes a piss all over your plasma TV... not.
Gotcha.
]]>Be careful what you say or the insurance companies might take note. Flood insurance will only cover H20 and if there is any dirt, sand, leaves or any other chemical element in the water the claim will be denied.
]]>@so_gracefully: I've always gone for the top floor when apartment hunting for security reasons (hooligans less likely to climb to my 3rd floor apartment) and noise reasons (nobody thumping over my head). I'm going to add "no dead body goo on my face" onto the pro list when I'm thinking of the con of having to lug the groceries for a family of 4 up the stairs.
What, no elevator? That's just fine! A little extra exercise > mental trauma from having your dead neighbor drip on you!
]]>When I was in college, I was living in a 2 family house. I moved out, but I wanted to move back in because I got a job in the are a year later.
I found out the person in the apartment downstairs had passed... during the summer... and no one found him.
Gases collected in his chest cavity due to the heat and he basically... exploded.
After the biohazard teams finished up, I was hired for 3 months free rent to repaint the place.
Ironically, I used "Kilz".
]]>There's no evidence she even had water seepage as a listed peril. The article cites examples like fires and airplanes.
The end-run using your same logic is that it's not the water in the human body that would be the problem. It's all the rotting organic bits.
]]>Reading comprehension failure, I'd imagine.
]]>I can't get the reply button to work. It seemed to work pretty damn well for pcyr...
]]>She could probably prove that she did could not plan for this eventuality.
On a side note I'm sure there is a way to blame her for not living on the top floor.
That is all.
]]>@pcyr: pcyr, do you work for Farmer's or something? Not trying to be snarky. But you are awfully defensive of the insurance company.
(To clarify, I agree that she should have had an all-risks policy. It's just weird that you've decided to reply to every single critical post with the EXACT SAME COMMENT.)
]]>What insurance company sells 'liquid damage'? I've heard of flood insurance, but you're going to have to site the existence of this 'liquid insurance'. Is this if someone comes to your house and throws a bucket of orange juice through the window or something?
]]>Nothing you have experienced can prepare you for the smell of a fully decomposed corpse.
The animals near the top were nearly fully liquefied. It was the most horrible and powerful smell I have ever encountered.
]]>"I ask Farmers Insurance spokesperson Jerry Davis, "Have you ever heard of anything like this?"
Davies says he doesn't know of any insurance company that covers bodily fluids.
I ask him, "So there would've been no chance that she would've had coverage under any policy that exists out there, based on this unexpected circumstance?
"That's correct," says Davies.
And because it was so random, something his colleagues collectively have only heard about once in decades on the job, Farmers changed its mind.
"We are going to cover all of her contents," says Davies. "
]]>¶ XII.C.14.e[3]: We do not cover blood and bodily fluid damage to your belongings unless it can be proven the blood or bodily fluid came from Sasquatch or an officially recognized alien being, as defined elsewhere in this document.
]]>It's idiocy reasons like that where people need to put labels on food telling people to take it out of the wrapper before consuming.
]]>@pcyr: Actually, this seems to fit the best: "water seepage"
It's liquid (maybe if they changed the wording to "liquid" instead of water, or added "liquid seepage") seeping in from the ceiling...
]]>@pcyr: Yes, pcyr, we got it. The first 8 times you said it.
]]>@Matthew Pettengill: Since it was posted at about 9:30 AZ time ... it wasn't posted at lunch time here.
]]>Hey, did Aetna get nominated for worst company in America? If not, I'd like to nominate them for next year's award.
]]>@pcyr: Yes. You've said this 9387598375359735397589375 times already. We get it.
]]>The dogs are pretty amazing.
]]>I'm guessing the bodily fluids the insurance companies are referring to are the more common ones, like urine. So if you throw a party and one of your frat buddies who hasn't quite grown up yet has one too many and takes a piss on your couch, it ain't the insurance folks' problem, it's yours.
(Wow, never in my life thought I would be semi-defending the insurance industry.)
]]>With residential property insurance, there's typically two types of coverage: 1) Named Perils; 2) All Risks. (Wording may vary)
With a named perils policy, only what's specifically listed is covered. With an all risks policy, unless it's specifically excluded, it's covered.
This isn't "water damage," as I don't think any policy has such wording. It's usually broken down to things like "water seepage," "water escape/rupture/freezing," "sewer backup," etc.
Therefore, unless this type of incident is specifically listed on her policy, it would not be covered. If she wanted coverage for these odd things, she should have gotten an all risks policy. She didn't, so she's SOL. It's unfortunate and I feel bad for her, but it's not the insurance company's responsibility. Insurance deals with risks, and she chose to save some money by taking a higher risk of not being covered.
]]>As an attorney, I'd love to read the entire policy to see how many of the stated perils this might fall under. Without reading the policy, it would be pretty hard to make any conclusion about Farmers. But, this might be the grossest cause of property damage I've ever heard of.
]]>@Matthew Pettengill: Well, it is breakfast time on the West coast. And coffee-break time in the Central and Mountain zones. As for the rest of the world, someone might have gotten up for a midnight snack and decided to check in here and yeah, so much for pleasant dreams.
]]>Add this to the list when considering whether to rent or buy a home. Me glad I have a home (a detached home no less).
]]>If you ever want to relive this post, search "OH MY GOD".
]]>What exactly is the common sense here? If she only had fire insurance, should they also cover a meteorite strike? She bought a limited policy that only provided protection against certain situations. Why in the world would she get more than what's covered and have that chalked up as 'common sense'?
]]>@H1N1_GitEmSteveDave: Just the thought is absolutely disgusting. Man I'd had to be one of those dog trainers...
]]>-Fat Bloated Insurance Dude
]]>1. Her policy might cover damage due to illegal trespass. Neighbor's bodily fluids might count for that.
2. Next her med insurance will deny coverage for having to deal with the mental/emotional distress of having her liquefied neighbor's corpse dripping on her face.
3. BLECH!
]]>The most common (but hasn't always) is a stated peril policy, and if it isn't listed its not covered.
The more expensive coverage has exclusions, and if its not listed and you suffer a loss of the covered property, it is covered.
The difference in cost between the policies can be over 50%.
]]>She is correct. A decaying corpse produces two amazing substances called Putrescine and Cadaverine. I only know that b/c I read an article on how they train corpse dogs. From what I read, the training material they use is triple bagged and sealed, yet once you get past the 1st seal, the smell will fill a room quickly.
]]>Couldn't they just call it flood/water damage? It's basically the same.
]]>Better call my agent and have him add the Neighbor Liquification rider to my policy...
]]>...he said that there really isn't an insurance policy that covers corpse fluid damage. It just doesn't happen very often.
Makes sense to me. How many residents of "Crackton" have renter's insurance?
Ugh. I can't imagine. Dripping on my face. Ugh.
]]>