Wouldn't fancy being their insurer...

[john_p]

http://www.transportforbucks.net/Roadworks-Centre/...

Bucks Free Press said:

On Wednesday last week a pedestrian overbridge at Denham was struck by a lorry with a mounted crane causing damage to the bridge.

The severity of the damage meant the structure's strength and stability was compromised and the bridge has to be removed.

Transport for Buckinghamshire said the delivery company has admitted liability and it will be seeking to recover the full cost from their insurers.

So how big will that claim be?

Removal of footbridge, including closing four lanes of a six-lane DC for 24 hrs
Rebuild of footbridge

Millions surely?

[alangla]

Happened before -

http://www.centralscotland.police.uk/news/index.ph...

Assume the insurer paid for the carnage caused by this one as well, also this one - truck working on railway brought down bridge, train ploughed into bridge, line shut for days.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/leicestershire/...

Didn't the Selby train crash get paid for by the car driver's insurance as well?

[MadMullah]

for a second i thought it was a pedestrian who got hit by a truck and damaged the bridge - i thought who was this guy?! superman?!

[thinfourth2]

alangla said:

Happened before -

http://www.centralscotland.police.uk/news/index.ph...

And they still haven't replaced the sign the two legs are still there but nothing else

[zcacogp]

alangla said:

Happened before -
Didn't the Selby train crash get paid for by the car driver's insurance as well?

The fella with a land rover, towing a renault on a trailor, which fell onto the track?

Yes, I think that one was covered by the car insurance. And I think the size of the claim created something of a stir in the insurance world. Others on here will know more.


Oli.

[Muncher]

zcacogp said:

The fella with a land rover, towing a renault on a trailor, which fell onto the track?

Yes, I think that one was covered by the car insurance. And I think the size of the claim created something of a stir in the insurance world. Others on here will know more.


Oli.

Yeah, I think that was the most expensive claim at the time and may still be.

[Pints]

I wouldn't fancy being in their shoes come renewal time.

[anonymous-user]

zcacogp said:

The fella with a land rover, towing a renault on a trailor, which fell onto the track?


Yes, I think that one was covered by the car insurance. And I think the size of the claim created something of a stir in the insurance world. Others on here will know more.


Oli.

I've seen a couple of gantry and bridge strikes one involved having to drop/demolish a large concrete footbridge over the M6 wouldn't have liked to see the bill for that.

The 'Selby' job is still having repurcussions now with bridges and barriers across the country being rebuilt or strengthened to prevent a repeat occurance. Next they'll be looking how to stop anything getting near a bridge/raillline after the recent 'mixer' on top of the train incident .

Surprised Selby guy and others haven't claimed against DoT for insufficient 'barrier protection' and 'bridge heights' to prevent these incidents from ever happening

[plasticpig]

zcacogp said:

The fella with a land rover, towing a renault on a trailor, which fell onto the track?

Yes, I think that one was covered by the car insurance. And I think the size of the claim created something of a stir in the insurance world. Others on here will know more.


Oli.

They started ensuring that their liability was limited. You are only insured for the first £20 million or so of damage you cause. Any further expense and it comes out of your own pocket.

[ralphrj]

speedyguy said:

Surprised Selby guy and others haven't claimed against DoT for insufficient 'barrier protection' and 'bridge heights' to prevent these incidents from ever happening

He did. He lost.

[mrmaggit]

alangla said:

Happened before -

http://www.centralscotland.police.uk/news/index.ph...

Assume the insurer paid for the carnage caused by this one as well, also this one - truck working on railway brought down bridge, train ploughed into bridge, line shut for days.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/leicestershire/...

Didn't the Selby train crash get paid for by the car driver's insurance as well?

Ah yes, the Barrow-on-soar crash was a beauty. I think it's probably the best railway shadenfreude since the one when the loco oil-rag-user turned down the safety valve as it was blowing off and irritating him, the boiler exploded and removed one of his ears.

The report on the crash stated that the crash was caused by a delivery driver failing to lower the tipper body fully, which then hit the bridge. The reason it wasn't fully lowered? He was distracted by a person wanting a lift to the end of the site, rather than walking. The job of the person distracting the driver?

Yes, you've guessed it, the sites' Health and Safety Manager!

[Magog]

alangla said:

Happened before -

Assume the insurer paid for the carnage caused by this one as well, also this one - truck working on railway brought down bridge, train ploughed into bridge, line shut for days.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/leicestershire/...

It won't be standard motor insurance though if the truck is on a site that's part of Network Rail I wouldn't have thought.

[john_p]

Selby was at least £30m

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/north_yorkshire...


"Any accidents or claims in the last five years sir?"

[Martial Arts Man]

One of my schoolmates' parents own a building merchant chain. As a teenager I remember him telling me that one of their drivers hadn't put a crane-thing down fully and had demolished a railway bridge.

I bet it's more common than one would automatically think.

[drivin_me_nuts]

I remember from years ago being stuck on the A2 when a telescopic crane took out a footbridge on the opposite carriageway. It was quite an impressive sight seeing the entire footbridge at road level...

Convenient they had a crane on site to lift it away.

I am surprised there aren't more incidents of large loads hitting bridges. Does anyone know for oversize loads what the UK max height is?

[zcacogp]

plasticpig said:

They started ensuring that their liability was limited. You are only insured for the first £20 million or so of damage you cause. Any further expense and it comes out of your own pocket.

I'd have thought that that would make precious little difference then. Imagine you cause a selby, and the bill is £30m. Insurance pays £20m, and you will be able to contribute very little more to the pot. How much is the average guy worth? Less than £1m, I'll bet.

So, imagine it is £1m. Insurance pays £20m, you are bankrupted for your £1m, where does the other £9m come from?


Oli.

[davepoth]

It comes from nowhere, basically. The claimant loses out.

[zcacogp]

So, in the case of the Selby crash, which claimants would get money and which ones wouldn't? Or would all their claims be reduced proportionally?

(I presume the MIB wouldn't pick up the extra? I can fully understand why not.)


Oli.

[anonymous-user]

I know when i had a truck they had to up the insurance indemnity for when we worked at the airport in case we clipped a plane whilst working on the aprons.

Can't remember what the limit was now, but i don't think it would run to a new Airliner