bloodrayne
01-05-2006, 01:25 AM
Man Soils Pants Then Sues
Zurich - A MAN tried to sue the council after he soiled his own trousers, it emerged today.
He blamed the embarrassing accident on the council's decision to close a public lavatory at a bus station, and claimed he was owed the cost of a new pair of trousers.
The bizarre claim was among thousands of public liability claims which cost local government and insurance firms an estimated £250 million per year.
Public sector insurer Zurich Municipal said many claimants are genuine but exaggerated and spurious claims are an increasing problem.
The firm compiled a list of other ludicrous and dubious claims.
It includes a man who claimed to have injured his arm after slipping on steps owned by a housing association. In fact, he had jumped out of his window to avoid being caught with another woman when his girlfriend returned home unexpectedly.
It also features a bin man who made a claim against his council after being "startled" by a dead badger which fell out of a bag, a shoplifter who sued because she fell down stairs while running from the scene of a crime, and a motorist who claimed he did not see a traffic roundabout in broad daylight - despite the fact that it had a large tree in the middle.
Perhaps the most bizarre claim was made that made by one man against several local authorities and the Archbishop of Canterbury "on behalf of all the homeless people in Britain".
Zurich Municipal claims director Iwan Borszcz said that while some of the claims raise a smile, they cause serious problems for genuine claimants.
He said: "Whether a claim is exaggerated or completely fraudulent, it is the genuine claimant that suffers.
"We work on behalf of customers to ensure genuine claimants receive the service they deserve, but considerable time is often wasted dealing with what turn out to be spurious, and even imaginative, claims.
"We are constantly amazed at some of the excuses people use to try to claim against public bodies. It just goes to show that working in insurance is more interesting than people may think."
Zurich - A MAN tried to sue the council after he soiled his own trousers, it emerged today.
He blamed the embarrassing accident on the council's decision to close a public lavatory at a bus station, and claimed he was owed the cost of a new pair of trousers.
The bizarre claim was among thousands of public liability claims which cost local government and insurance firms an estimated £250 million per year.
Public sector insurer Zurich Municipal said many claimants are genuine but exaggerated and spurious claims are an increasing problem.
The firm compiled a list of other ludicrous and dubious claims.
It includes a man who claimed to have injured his arm after slipping on steps owned by a housing association. In fact, he had jumped out of his window to avoid being caught with another woman when his girlfriend returned home unexpectedly.
It also features a bin man who made a claim against his council after being "startled" by a dead badger which fell out of a bag, a shoplifter who sued because she fell down stairs while running from the scene of a crime, and a motorist who claimed he did not see a traffic roundabout in broad daylight - despite the fact that it had a large tree in the middle.
Perhaps the most bizarre claim was made that made by one man against several local authorities and the Archbishop of Canterbury "on behalf of all the homeless people in Britain".
Zurich Municipal claims director Iwan Borszcz said that while some of the claims raise a smile, they cause serious problems for genuine claimants.
He said: "Whether a claim is exaggerated or completely fraudulent, it is the genuine claimant that suffers.
"We work on behalf of customers to ensure genuine claimants receive the service they deserve, but considerable time is often wasted dealing with what turn out to be spurious, and even imaginative, claims.
"We are constantly amazed at some of the excuses people use to try to claim against public bodies. It just goes to show that working in insurance is more interesting than people may think."