I often get questions like “why would anybody need liability insurance?” Here are just a few real-life cases I’ve personally been involved with where liability insurance has saved the bacon of Seattle-area families.
Accidentally trimmed the neighbor’s trees – $125,000
Dog bit the neighbor’s 4 year old in the face – $450,000
Condo’s downstairs neighbor alleged “too loud – made me lose sleep” – paid all legal & court costs and eventually won the case after 3 years.
Son flipped the car with his friends inside, sadly killing all four – $2 million.
Several hundred of no-damage-to-the-other-car injury claims – cumulatively, probably into the millions of dollars.
Dog killed neighbor’s dog in a fight, lawsuit for emotional distress – paid all legal and court costs.
Ex-nanny suing for wrongful termination and slander – paid all legal and court costs, small settlement.
Fortunately, the probability of anything really bad happening to you is infinitesimally small. But in my 26 years in the industry I’ve seen hundreds more cases where weird things pop up and risk interrupting a family’s financial plan. That’s why we believe you plan for the consequence of the severity, and not the probability.
Photo: Mt. St. Helens, WA
Darren McGraw & Mechelsen Private Client 
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