21 Bizarre travel insurance claims

Travel insurance may protect travellers from unplanned and unexpected situations, but not all claims are limited to normal eventualities. Through the years travel insurance providers across the globe have had to deal with peculiar claims from hapless victims whilst on holiday.

We take a look at 21 bizarre travel insurance claims made.

• A young party goer had to seek medical treatment after being badly burnt at a local bar whilst on holiday in Greece. Not heeding the warning buzzer while waiting for her cocktail order, she received third degree burns when the Fire Bar erupted in flames.
• A whopping £2 800 (R49,000) worth of medical treatment was paid when a backpacker in Southern India sustained injuries when he was chased down the street by an angry bull.
• An attempt to reclaim the expenses of trying to fix a hair disaster in Spain failed after a father tried unsuccessfully to help his daughter undo the damages of her frazzling her hair in the oven in the holiday flat.
• A claim for the reimbursement of replacing new passports and wallets went unpaid when a family on holiday in the Black Forest left the cottage door open to return to find that a goat had helped itself to their travel documents and wallets which were on the table.
• A honeymoon vacation took a strange twist when the bride’s wedding dress caught fire from a smouldering brick of coal that escaped from the braai. Coming to the aid of his bride, the groom picked her up and threw her into the sea.
• A passenger lost his dentures to a gust of wind while on holiday on a cruise ship. He was singing at the time of the incident when a strong burst of wind whipped his false teeth out of his mouth.
• On a holiday trip to Spain, a tourist had his camera stolen by a dog when he placed it on a park bench. His claim of accidental damage was paid out.
• An accidental damage claim that was rejected when a family while on holiday in Wales had their camping equipment damaged when a parachutist missed his landing target landed on their tent.
• A couple who had the misfortune of staying in a flea-ridden Parisian hotel room decided to cut their trip short after two days of being unable to endure the itching and scratching. Burning all their clothes on returning home, their claim for reimbursement for new clothes was rejected.
• Finding that there was insufficient snow at a ski resort, a ski enthusiast claimed for the cost of the new skis she bought.
• A successful medical claim was made when a tourist broke his nose on a bus shelter in Greece. His attention was diverted by two girls in bikinis.
• Another medical claim was made when a man lost his wallet down a drain in a street in Israel. He was stung by a poisonous scorpion when reaching into the drain to recover his wallet.
• A man claimed for medical treatment after suffering a heart attack while travelling in West Africa. While the medical costs were paid for by the travel insurance provider, the cost of his visit to a brothel the place where the heart attack took happened was rejected.
• One unlucky man had to endure the pain of medical treatment, not once but three times, on a business trip to Asia. His first was an emergency appendectomy operation, then he had to be readmitted a second time when he was struck by a tree limb while waiting to be picked up. A third trip to the hospital was made when he was involved in a taxi accident.
• A hunting trip in Africa went horribly wrong when a woman after having shot a lion went to inspect her kill. She was surprised when the lion jumped up and made for an attack. Stepping back she fell into a hole. Her medical treatment was covered.
• Another lion-related claim was made by a woman who had her wrist lacerated when she stopped to pat a lion cub. The claim was rejected as the insurer considered she had put herself in needless danger.
• A donkey excursion in Greece resulted in medical claims made when one donkey slipped while on a trail creating a donkey pileup injuring some members of the group.
• On a holiday to Canada, a tourist decided to mark his travels with by getting a tattoo done. Unfortunately for him he had to put in medical claims for a severe allergic reaction.
• Seeking the thrills on a zip line is not without its dangers. A young woman sustained injuries when her breaks failed and she crashed into a tree trunk face first.
• At a temple in Bali, a couple on holiday had their bag stolen by a monkey. After trying unsuccessfully to entice the monkey to hand the bag back, the offending monkey tossed the bag over a cliff top.
• On a visit to Rome, a woman charged her camera and hair straightener on an adapter in the hostel dormitory, and overloaded the power board. The power surge damaged her camera. Her claim was paid.

Ensure you get travel insurance before departing South Africa. Call Quick Travel Insurance now on 087 550 4824.