Posted on 08/16/2006 3:40:41 AM PDT by Brilliant
For trucker Edward Tippie, the crash on Interstate 4 was only the beginning of his nightmare.
A sport utility vehicle, loaded with a suicidal father and his two young sons, pulled away from the shoulder into the path of his tractor-trailer. Tippie hit them broadside, killing one of the boys, age 8, and the father.
It was the final act in a two-day horror story that captivated the region in September 2003. Bryan Randall, 37, a former college-basketball standout, plotted to kill his four children. It was part of an intricate plan to get revenge on his estranged wife, who had outmaneuvered Randall in a custody dispute.
But Tippie, the man behind the wheel of the truck, sees himself as the forgotten victim. And he went to court this week seeking justice.
On Tuesday, Tippie asked a jury to make Randall's insurer, Progressive Auto Insurance Co., pay $100,000 for his medical bills and other damages. He suffered a back injury... The jury refused.
The six-member panel had just one question to decide: Was that morning rush-hour crash an accident or a deliberate act by Bryan Randall, a man intent on murder and suicide?
It concluded that Randall got exactly what he wanted. And because his auto-insurance policy doesn't pay for suicide or murder, that left Tippie with nothing.
The Tampa man walked out of the Seminole County Courthouse a bitter man.
He loaded his wife, Tania, and five of his seven children, ages 7 to 18, into the family van and headed home.
"I have all these kids," Tippie said. "I live paycheck to paycheck."
Tippie, 42, couldn't work for eight months after the crash, he said. He was fired the day after the crash for refusing to go to work.
"I lost $30,000 in back wages," he said...
(Excerpt) Read more at orlandosentinel.com ...
Doesn't seem like justice? Even though there's no insurance for suicidal impulse? Okay then YOU pay up. Stop trying to grab money from other folk's pockets to soothe your own sense of justice.
Doesn't FL have a fund from crime victims? Seems like this guy would qualify.
Make sure you have Uninsured Motoristrs coverage! It's coverage you buy that pays youl damages if the other driver doesn't.
youl=your
3. Does the Attorney General’s Office provide any services or benefits to victims of violent crimes that have resulted in financial hardship? Yes. The Bureau of Victim Compensation provides financial assistance to innocent victims for payment of expenses incurred as a result of a criminal victimization. When eligibility criteria is met, victim/applicants may receive compensation for medical bills, wage loss, funeral/burial expenses, disability and loss of support. In addition, the Office of Attorney General offers a nationwide 24 hour toll-free information and referral service to provide crime victims with access to information regarding their claim or general information about the program. Operators are available to assist Spanish and Creole speaking victims. Our toll free number for victims is 1-800-226-6667. You may also fill out a claim form or visit the web site at http://myfloridalegal.com
I know, I know.
Progressive Insurance is owned by a George Soros type, Peter Lewis.
The 70-year-old Lewis holds the distinction of being the second-largest donor during the '04 election cycle to the non-party groups known as "527s" (after a section of the tax code that permits these huge donations). In fact, Lewis donated nearly $23 million to such organizations, including $16 million to the Joint Victory Campaign (created by combining the three largest 527s dedicated to President Bush's defeat), $2.9 million to America Coming Together (ACT), and $2.5 million to Move On.Org.
Why should ANYBODY be surprised that a company owned by such a person would take a "suicide" clause and use it against a victim of an accident caused by somebody else committing suicide, vice the claimant committing suicide (which would've been normal).
Any insurance company would. This guy clearly wasn't eligible for a payment by the insurance company, so why should he get one?
His insurance company should have informed him of the law. He was holding out for a big payout and didn't win. Tough.
Insurance covers accidents, not deliberate actions. That is what it is all about. The truck driver should have had his own coverage that would take care of his injuries. If he didn't, he self insured himself and failed to save for the risk. Polictics has nothing to do with this. Stop trying to make this a political issue.
My suspicion is that it was the other guy's insurance company, but don't know.
Yes, it was. The article says so.
He can try to sue the estate of the Andrea Yates wannabe. This is an intentional tort, and one is not insured for intentional torts. However, the estate of the tort feasor can be liable. The wife and remaining child.
Under Insured and Uninsured Motorist coverage...what if the trucker was hit by a hit and run driver..who would he be mad at then.?? People have got to take responsibility for themselves and quit blaming everyone else. They expect Deep Pockets to take care of everything...for about $50 a year in Nebraska this guy could have had $100,000 paid by his insurance company..I expect he did have some (Almost all policies have it) but he was looking for more, and let's not go into Disability coverage for the time he missed from work..in the words of a FAMOUS TV personality AFLAAAACC!
Wouldn't his employer be responsible for injuries recieved while on the job?
This is no different than the thousands of Katrina victims who didnt get a dime. Insurance company strikes again.
So the guy is a loser. He waited for an insurance payout. He didnt do anything wrong on the highway,he deserves compensation. If he had been hit by a road rage driver he would be paid off. There isnt that much different.
You might be right... But I suspect that the murder/suicide clause was not intended to deal with this situation. It was probably intended to deal with the situation where the relatives of the person who committed suicide are the ones who are suing. Obviously, you can't commit suicide so that your relatives can make a claim on the policy. But this guy was just an innocent bystander. Different situation, if you ask me.
And the murder clause obviously has nothing to do with it since neither he nor the other driver were murdered.
Unless the law is clear that he loses, I would take it up on appeal, if I were him.
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