According to a Senate report, between seven and eleven people lose their lives each year during a road accident involving a wild animal, averaging 140 to 170 per year. If these accidents often only result in crumpled metal, the question of compensation and insurance coverage often arises.
What compensation is possible for the damaged vehicle?
The main consequence of a collision with a wild animal is damage to the vehicle. The coverage of the costs involved will depend on the nature of your car insurance contract. If you have taken out comprehensive insurance, then you have nothing to worry about: accidents with wild animals are among the cases covered by the insurance, although there is a possible deductible amounting to be indicated in your contract. If, on the other hand, you have only taken out third-party insurance, or “collision damage” guarantee, the insurance will not cover the repairs. Be careful, however: the insurer will not be able to apply a penalty to you if you manage to prove that the accident was force majeure and that you had no way of avoiding it.
What compensation is possible for the injured driver and passengers?
Although most accidents with wild animals often only result in minor material damage, it can happen that more violent collisions result in physical injuries to the driver of the accident vehicle or to some of its passengers. In the case of passengers, the situation is very simple: all passengers are covered by the vehicle’s compulsory insurance. As for the driver, it depends on whether he has a driver’s guarantee in his insurance contract. If this is the case, the insurance will cover compensation for the health costs incurred, at least in part. If the driver’s guarantee has not been taken out, the insurer will not reimburse you, but you can submit a file online within three years following the accident with the FGAO (Compulsory Damage Insurance Guarantee Fund) to obtain compensation if your approach is sufficiently justified.
2024-01-06 16:23:33
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