Justin Voff, a German who has been living in Iceland for the past four months, had the unfortunate accident of killing a sheep which ran in front of his car while he was driving on the ring road in Western Iceland. The sheep was killed, the car badly damaged, and now Justin is faced with a sizable bill.
Beware of sheep on the road
Justin Voff was driving along the ring road in Western Iceland on Monday when an ewe with two lambs ran in front of his car. The ewe was killed instantly in the crash, which also caused significant damage to the car. The accident took place on the road down from Holtavörðuheiði heath into Norðurárdalur valley.
Justin was driving a Toyota Yaris from the Sad Cars car rental. Representatives of the car rental had the car towed away from the scene, while Justin continued his trip by bus. Yesterday Justin was informed by the car rental that he had to pay 2,000 euros (2,200 USD) to cover damages caused by the collision.
Insurance does not cover damages caused by animals
Sigurður Smári Gylfason, the owner of Sad Cars, told local news site visir.is that the impact left the car completely wrecked. The fender, bumper and hood are all ruined and the radiator burst. “He seems to have been driving close to the speed limit when the sheep ran in front of the car, and it is really an open question whether repairing the car is worth it. … The car was actually destroyed.”
Sigurður argues that regular insurance, even the no-fault insurance offered by car rentals, does not cover damages caused by animals. “This is the way things are apparently, and it is not just us. Damages caused by animals are not covered by the insurance.”
Justin Voff, a German who has been living in Iceland for the past four months, had the unfortunate accident of killing a sheep which ran in front of his car while he was driving on the ring road in Western Iceland. The sheep was killed, the car badly damaged, and now Justin is faced with a sizable bill.
Beware of sheep on the road
Justin Voff was driving along the ring road in Western Iceland on Monday when an ewe with two lambs ran in front of his car. The ewe was killed instantly in the crash, which also caused significant damage to the car. The accident took place on the road down from Holtavörðuheiði heath into Norðurárdalur valley.
Justin was driving a Toyota Yaris from the Sad Cars car rental. Representatives of the car rental had the car towed away from the scene, while Justin continued his trip by bus. Yesterday Justin was informed by the car rental that he had to pay 2,000 euros (2,200 USD) to cover damages caused by the collision.
Insurance does not cover damages caused by animals
Sigurður Smári Gylfason, the owner of Sad Cars, told local news site visir.is that the impact left the car completely wrecked. The fender, bumper and hood are all ruined and the radiator burst. “He seems to have been driving close to the speed limit when the sheep ran in front of the car, and it is really an open question whether repairing the car is worth it. … The car was actually destroyed.”
Sigurður argues that regular insurance, even the no-fault insurance offered by car rentals, does not cover damages caused by animals. “This is the way things are apparently, and it is not just us. Damages caused by animals are not covered by the insurance.”
