Earlier this month a video was circulating on social media showing a motorist who turned the tables on would be hijackers when she used her big SUV as a bulldozer to escape a hijack attempt.
In the video the unsuspecting motorist can be seen pulling into her driveway. Before the gate could close, another vehicle speeds in behind her blocking the only possible exit. A couple of men armed with handguns then pounce on the driver to rob her off her luxury SUV. Luckily all her windows and doors were closed and locked, which was enough to momentarily keep her assailants at bay.
It’s at this point that the driver decides to take some decisive action. She shifts her car into reverse, steps on the accelerator, and rams into the car that’s blocking her way. The robbers clearly did not expect this as they are seen scampering to save their vehicle from further damage.
Their ordeal is not yet over, though. As they reverse to escape, the female driver unleashes one more attack that almost flips the robbers’ car off its wheels. The final blow, which followed seconds later, could have been deadly for one of the perpetrators as the enraged motorist is seen ramming the rear door of the robbers’ car as one them tries to get out. The video ends at this point. But we can reasonably conclude that the outlaws finally found an escape route and hurried off with their car and their egos severely bruised.
While we do not encourage anyone to take on armed criminals when they demand your car, we can’t help but cheer at the way things turned out for these thugs.
However, a common question arises at this point. Will this motorist’s insurance company honour her claim when they learn about the circumstances in which the vehicle was damaged, or will they accuse her of intentionally damaging her car and thus refuse to pay?
Well, it appears that insurance companies in South Africa are more sympathetic than we often think.
Mzansi Life contacted two of South Africa’s leading insurance companies – OUTsurance and Dialdirect for comment on this matter.
“The primary cause of this damage was the attempted hijacking,” said Natasha Kawulesar, Head Of Client Relations at OUTsurance.
“The driver here did not cause intentional or malicious damage to her vehicle. If comprehensively insured, we (OUTsurance) would deem this a valid claim and there would be cover.”
Maanda Tshifularo, Head of Dialdirect Insurance, was frank and said: “Based on these specific circumstances, we would honour this claim.”
This bodes well for South African motorists who can at the very least count on their insurance company to have their back when adversity strikes in such horrible circumstances.
As motorists, we commend companies like OUTsurance and Dialdirect that still choose compassion and client service over profits even during tough economic times when every cent counts.
