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Ri$k Happens: She’ll be coming down the mountain

By Angela Cady, loss analyst, ARA Insurance

February 26, 2023

ARA Insurance logoThe sun warmed the winter air to a tolerable temperature. A few hearty birds sang their chorus. One man was excited to get to work cleaning up his property in a clearing on the side of a low mountain. He made use of a woodchipper he had rented from his local rental store to clean up and recycle some of the brush into wood chips. 

He carefully followed the directions he had received for the woodchipper. He set aside anything that should not go in the woodchipper. His project went smoothly, and he finished up what he needed to do. He decided to take the woodchipper back to the rental store since it was still during business hours. He hitched it up to his truck and set off along the hilly road that led from the site.  

Unfortunately, he had not hooked the woodchipper up correctly. On one hilly stretch of road, the unit came off the hitch and rolled backward. He watched in the rear-view mirror in horror as it went towards the side of the road and then over the edge down the mountain. He sheepishly called the rental store and worked with them to recover the unit. 

Afterwards, the rental customer stopped returning the rental store owner’s calls. The rental store owner turned in a claim for the equipment to their own insurance. The claim will be adjusted according to the policy language. The insurance company will then attempt to recover the money paid out and the rental store’s deductible which will then be returned. 

This item, provided by ARA Insurance, Overland Park, Kan., contains safety tips and is intended to help readers better understand and manage risk. For more safety and risk management information, customers of ARA Insurance can log on to ReSource. Access is free, so if you haven’t signed up yet, contact your agent or call 800-821-6580.