Plan Ahead When Lending or Borrowing a Horse Trailer
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196 – October, 2017
by Julie I. Fershtman, Attorney at Law
When Sam was about to leave for a weekend horse show, he discovered that his horse trailer had a broken taillight. Realizing that the problem could not be repaired in time, he asked his neighbor, Jo, to borrow her trailer. She agreed. Within minutes, Sam hitched his truck to Jo’s trailer, unaware that her trailer’s tongue ball socket and his truck’s hitch ball were not compatible – Jo‘s trailer required a hitch with a wider ball. Later, while Sam drove down the highway, the trailer broke away from his truck, injuring his horses, breaking a fence, injuring motorists, and destroying Ann’s trailer.
Lending your trailer may seem to be a simple and friendly accommodation, but accidents can occur and the risk of liability is always present. Insurance issues add to the complexity. Never assume that everyone’s insurance policies protect them against a worst-case scenario.
Insurance for Trailering
Insurance coverages for hauling can include:
• Liability Coverage. This coverage is important because it protects the driver (subject to policy terms) against claims from injured people who seek payment for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other losses.
• Collision Coverage. This coverage is intended to offer protection against damages the truck or trailer may sustain from a collision or other type of accident.
• Comprehensive Coverage. This covers damages to the vehicle, or possibly the trailer, from something other than a collision, such as fire, windstorm, hail storm, vandalism, or theft.
Other auto-related coverages can include uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, medical payments coverage, and even coverage for roadside assistance for damaged trailers and towing to a service facility. Coverages exist to protect property owners from damage to or loss of personal property, such as horse equipment, in the trailer. Please keep in mind that all policies have requirements, exclusions, conditions, and limits, and coverages can differ from company to company. Professional haulers require additional coverage.
Click here to read the complete article196 – October, 2017
