Potato rain and spider scares - the weirdest car insurance claims revealed

A shower of raw potatoes, arachnid attacks and a real case of a chicken crossing the road are among the weirdest reasons given for car insurance claims in the last year.

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While most insurance claims are pretty straightforward reports, new data released by insurer Aviva has revealed some unique and truly bizarre reasons behind drivers lodging a claim.

The lighthearted look at eye-catching incidents include the driver who encountered an oncoming tractor pulling a trailer of potatoes. The potatoes flew off the trailer and the policyholder’s car was bombarded. When reporting the incident he commented: “There were no injuries but there were some chips from where the potatoes hit the car.”

That wasn’t the only report of unusual objects being dropped on cars, with another driver explaining that the damage to their car was caused by a toilet cistern falling from passing skip lorry.

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Apparently, the chicken crossed the road to cause an accident (Photo: Shutterstock)

And one driver who parked outside his local cricket club ended up knocked for six when a well-struck ball left the ground and landed on his car, denting it. Apparently, it was the third such incident in a week.

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Gareth Hemming, MD, personal lines for Aviva commented: “From the everyday unusual to the downright bizarre, we encounter all sorts of claims from our customers – the kinds where people say “you had to be there!”. Insurance is designed in case of the unforeseen and unexpected - and as our claims experience shows, we see plenty of situations which couldn’t have been predicted."

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Animals have a lot to answer for, as well, cropping up repeatedly on claims forms.

One arachnophobic motorist had to lodge a claim after a spider crawled up her leg while she was driving, causing her to panic and crash into a parked car, thankfully without injuring anyone.

Another driver encountered that mythical beast - a chicken crossing the road - which caused her to brake suddenly, leading to her car being rear-ended by the following vehicle. And flapping at a wasp left one motorist counting the cost after she knocked over a can of juice, frying the car’s electrics.

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