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If you're having a rough day you might take some consolation from this: at least your cars and home weren't hit by a rogue boulder.
That's what happened Tuesday night to a family in Athens, Ohio, when the boulder -- about 25 feet in diameter -- broke free from a hillside and gravity took over. The boulder knocked down phone, power and cable lines as it rolled, and only stopped after crushing the cars and tearing off part of the family's home, AthensOhioToday.com reported.
Luckily, no one in the family was hurt, as they all were in another part of the home. The family members were not identified but officials said they and a neighboring family were evacuated until crews can assess the home and nearby hillside.
A witness recalled seeing sparks fly as the boulder took out power lines.
"At first I thought it was thunder," Mary Diles said of the rumbling sound. "Then I saw sparks and thought it was firecrackers."
The boulder even severed a waterline underneath the neighborhood's street.
As for what led to the boulder's destructive journey, Andy Stone, the city's public works chief, said it looks like a combination of tree roots and heavy rain allowed the rock to break free.
Removing the boulder from the cars and house, he added, will require breaking it up into smaller pieces.
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How much does somone wanna bet that THAT will get denied in the insurance claim?
"We dont cover boulder damage"
Mother Nature was pretty pissed at that family.
Fine. I will place a 10$ bet against you.
Most homeowners policies will cover the damage. So I will take the bet.
It was an "ACT of God" that made the boulder fall. Insurance DENIED!
Moheeheeko... It might have been better if you had started this post stream with something like ...
It's good to know that no one was hurt here!
As for the insurance claim I'm sure something will be done to make them whole again.
Seems like if it was up to you, and you were the claims adjuster most likely not.
Peace!
Which god I wonder? Thor may have hit it with his hammer.
Starbuck- thats exactly waht I was thinking
fnkheehaw- So because Ive dealt with insurance companies before and know they try to weasle their way out of any time they would have to make a payment, and make a joke about it, im the @!$%#?
stay classy.
Holy guacamole...is Joe the plumber ok?
Seeing that a cubic yard of concrete (3'x3'x3') weighs approximately a ton, what would you suppose that 'baby' weighs? Talk about "kinetic energy!"
Wonder how far it traveled? The cartoonist in me sees a near sighted, elderly old lady walking her miniature toy poodle on the end of a leash as that 'monster whirling dervish' goes whizzing past in front of them taking 'fifi' with it!.............ouch! My wife just let me have it!
Meeheeko
Like I said ... I'm happy that no one was hurt!!
I think that's pretty classy, sorry you just seem a little negative.
Perhaps they (insurance) thought you filed false claims!
Once again peace!
.. I think it could qualify has an isolated natural disaster.
Maybe Moheeheeko is their claims adjuster....
...this could be a boon for State Farm...hope that's their insurers.
"Like A Rock...State Farm Is There"
Poor Ohio...they've been in the news A LOT recently.
Damn rock 'n' roll.
In the centuries before "Christ" this boulder was a pebble to them. They (whoever "they" were) could move this boulder without a problem, whole.
?
Glad this family is ok! I hope their insurance company doesn't give them any problems.
We had an F0 tornado (nothing like what you see on the news) pass by our place a few years ago it ripped some siding off my house, tore shingles off, hail damage to my roof, siding, and screens, and knocked over a tree. The insurance company told me the siding and shingles came off due to faulty installation, the hail damage was not "bad enough," however they agreed to cover the tree removal. All the houses on my street suffered damage, some worse, some not so bad, and the all got new siding, roofs, and wood fences.
After fighting them non-stop, they agreed to replace all the siding and gave us some money for a roof. After shopping around, we were able to afford all new siding and a new roof. We also got a new insurance company!
The ancient Incas would have known how to move that rock. Looks like now it will take dynamite, ouch! What a blessing that no one was hurt.
Where's Waldo 1.9 - you must have loved A Fish Called Wanda! Watching Michael Palin trying to take out the old lady, and instead offing her dogs one by one, was tragically hysterical!
Oh, I'd be p!ssed if my insurance didn't cover if something like that happened to my car.....I LOVE my car!!!
It is a good thing that nobody got hurt....someone could've been easily killed.
I'm sure glad I'm not friends with the people that initially replied. Talk about stiff. It was clear his intent if you had a funny bone. And, unless he is evil, of course he is glad everyone is alright - but he didn't need to wonder or say that because the article says that no one got hurt. Lighten up America, we all know the insurance industry is in the business for money why not joke about that sad reality.
Oh, so as to not draw the ire of people without funny bones, let me state unequivocally that I hope the families insurance does cover this damage. Some scary stuff to have to worry about falling boulders.
Pisces1305 - Was that insurance company ERIE by any chance? Just curious as I've heard the same reasons used by them on other occasions.
What did the daddy rock say to the baby rock on Halloween?
I use to be scared too son but, now I am a little boulder.
I do hope they are covered. An "Act of God" is a very real clause. I was on a float trip several years ago and a tree fell on a canoe. The people jumped out escaping, but the canoe was demolished, flattened by the tree. I asked the people who ran the place if they were concerned about the family sueing. They said "No, it is an act of God. They could do nothing about it". The family had no claim with the canoe rental people. There is a reason you buy flood insurance. If you live in a flood zone and don't have it specifically, then you aren't insured for it. Boulder insurance? Earthquake insurance exist also. It might be in your paperwork, but it may be a seperate additional cost. I live in Missouri. We have floods AND a very big earthquake on the way. New Madrid fault is overdue.
fnkheehaw: "Perhaps they (insurance) thought you filed false claims!"
Or perhaps the insurance company was greedy and just didn't want to pay. Several years ago a bus hit me and it was obvious who hit whom, but the insurance company was unwilling to pay and tried to make it look like I was at fault! I took them to court. They sent a lawyer, I represented myself and I won! I even wound up getting more than I was initially seeking. That's what they get for trying to screw with me. That's their game, though: they're counting on people not being willing to fight back. I saw fight back and screw THEM.
Ohio has hillsides?
Sorry, I was thinking of Iowa.
Tear what's left of the old house down and build the new house around the boulder. Stories for generations that you keep the house in the family!
The Ins. co might pay for the damage, then one of two things are going to happen. Their Ins. carrier will either drop them, or they will triple their Ins premium and claim they are in a high risk area.
Don't ya just love Ins Co's?? I call them the necessary evil.
Wait, I have an idea. Make a gigantic transport trailer to parade the rock around Ohio them put it in a museum.
elk Meadow We also have hills in Iowa. It's Nebraska you're thinking of.
My favorite part of the story . . . aside from the fact that no one was hurt [don't wanna get called out for being insensitive haha].
LOL...I prefaced it with..."this could be a boon..." implying State Farm could use the Prudential slogan to SF's benefit. Thanks, all the same:)
knowing that town - it's lucky there weren't 20 drunk college kids in the house. Athens Ohio is known for 2 things: their mardi gras style halloween, and the spring riots when students spill out into the streets at 1:00 on daylight savings change over because the bars are closing.
Went to my exwife's cousin's house in san te california. It was down a steep slope, below a round rock at least as big as the house. At the time, I supposed that only californians could be that stupid.
Where's that "Sexy Beast", Ben Kingsley, when you need him?
Donkee
Uh-oh, gotta wonder about their deductible, based on the commercial about the boulder being the vanishing deductable!!!
As a licensed insurance agent, I'm not surprised at the several comments completely bashing the entire insurance industry as a whole. I too was like many of you. I thought all insurance companies were greedy until I was on the other side of one that is not.
Not all insurance companies are just concerned about turning a profit only to leave the insured high and dry. Every company does need to make some sort of income to keep functioning, but I can tell you that it makes no difference to my pay check whether or not you insure your car, home, etc. It is my job to make sure that if you are my customer, you have adequate coverage that will get you back to the way things were if there were to be a catastrophic event aka 25 ft boulder falling on your car and home.
Every single person has the right to look at their coverages and see what they have and what they don't. More often than not, people will get their renewal notice in the mail, glance over it, and toss it in the trash because they may believe it is too difficult and time consuming to understand, but it's not!
Instead of complaining via the net, contact your agent today and ask what kind of coverages you do have and if your home would be covered if a boulder fell on it or not. You just might learn something.
First thought that I has when I saw the picture was "The Flintstones".
Why didn't you start your post with that Mr. Perfect?
And yes, car insurance and home insurance denied. Why do you tihink they have an entire team of lawyers working to deny your claims? Insurance companies don't give a damn about you, they care about money, profits and their bottom line. A lot like women.
aaaannnnnddd....collapsed
I wonder if an Atheist insurance adjuster has to sign a waiver saying he DOES believe in God on company time? Hmmmmm......."Hey,a boulder hit my house. You guys have to rebuild it"!!! Adjuster; "No, that was an act of God". "But, your an Atheist....you don't believe in God" "Well...technically I do till 5:00".
Talk about Rock & Roll!
Hello Jessica this is Jerry; you are not going to believe what happened......
PDK, It took until 1.33 for someone to comment on the city public works chief's name being ANDY STONE... Whole bunch of people got the State Farm motto wrong and even killed an imaginary dog first. LOL
On scene news reports have Indian Jones fleeing the area.
Civil Engineering for you, every city and State should have one.
Seeing as a boulder -- a boulder that was not placed anywhere by human hands (or by human-made machinery) -- rolling through town and causing extensive damage with no human causing it to roll or controlling it IS an "act of God", the insurance claim will most likely be DENIED. Just like every claim for water damage caused by a flood of any kind -- unless you "happen" to have that extra, expensive flood insurance.
Any home owner knows that an "act of God" is NOT covered by their regular insurance. You are REQUIRED to get that extra "act of God" insurance for floods and boulders rolling through your garage.
Hey, send the rock to Hollywood....we can make it famous (we did with another rock) and ship it off to LACMA!!! Maybe it was jealous and just wanted to go on its own. Glad to hear the family is okay tho'.
This is about 10 miles from my house and it does not matter whether insurance pays for it or not, Athens county is one of the best places on earth and we take care of our own here, this family will want for nothing!!!
There are few places like this and this world would be better off if there were more like it (minus the falling boulders) people here help those in need regardless of color, religion, age or status! If you have a problem the community comes together to help in any way if it is wanted!!
Devon - haha, yeah, I was kinda shocked that no one had mentioned it yet.
Must be sitting near Bush's fault!
what a happy looking pile of nuts
No, Athens is one of the few "blue" counties in the state. Although they are all turning bluer every day. We have so many NIMBYs here, this rock story will be fun to watch. (Not in my back yard--NIMBY)
No worrys its a honda!
Bush who?
A ROSE BUSH
So it is true..............
I don't see a bit of moss at all.
Well here is one home owner that wont take his house for Granite anymore.
I bet his insurance policy was just a stones throw away too.
Looked like a gem of a house too.
Is his daughters name Pebbles by chance?
You must know Stephan Pastis ("pearls before swine", master of the pun!)
No, just a bit of a cunning linguist, I guess.
Sorry, yellow zone material.
The Insurance companies have a clause in the rider that they can use to deny claims like this.. Its an "Act of God" Thats sure to piss off all the atheists and on this site Im sure there are many! I had the ground on my feed power pole break and send all the power into my home last year cooking anything turned on....... "act of god"! yep!
Actually, this appears to be an "act of gravity, inertia, and potential energy converted into kinetic energy" to anyone who is not science-phobic.
The rest of you can blame the sky-daddy.
For insurance purposes "Act of God" is just euphemistic code for "Sh!t Happens." It's not like they are actually citing the existence of a supreme deity as the explanation for something unexpected happening or as the reason they shouldn't pay for it. Nothing for atheists to get too riled up about, really... except for the real militant ones who choose to take everything too literally.
are they fracking anywhere in the vicinity?
LOL ! bush's fault, The GOD must be really pissed off to those from Evangelical state lately,who's spinning lies about the president birther.
The God must be CRAZY either way!
good one, very funny
Jolly Old Soul - Greetings......I'm baaaaaaack!...If it pisses off that big mouth Atheist Fiesty......then more power to them!
lmao....... your like a bad case of feisty flu. She isnt going to be happy, but who cares!
This is in my hometown. We were just wondering how they are going to landscape around it.
Thankfully, no one was hurt. It's rained here quite a bit; and it's not unusual to get slippage. This was a big "slip."
The report said that two cars were totalled. We were wondering "where" the second car is--parked in front of the one halfway under the boulder?
Squished flat.
Hope they do find a way to landscape around it. I am the type of person, that if this happened to me there is no way I would let the city break it up. I would want that baby as a very unique yard ornament. That and if anyone ever failed to believe the story of what happened is true there is a permanent bit of proof they can point to.
Should have called the Rock Stars!!! (Nat Geo)
ChumLee could have sold it.
starbuck49 - hahahahaha!
Not those kind of Rock Stars...the Janod Corporation crew that stars in the show, Rock Stars on Nat Geo - they stabilize mountain slides.
Moheeheeko, It would of been nice if you had of began this post stream with something like.....
It's good to know no one was hurt here!!
As for any claims insurance claims, I'm sure something will be done to make them whole again.
Holy Macaroni.....I bet that made a hell of a noise.
Watch insurance try to say it "was manmade activities" or something that set the boulder loose so it wont be covered. Or that the boulder came from across a city street so its the citys problem & not theirs.
If that's what your insurance company would say, you need new insurance. I've had a car body creamed by hail, a garage flattened by weight of snow and my home roof sagged over a foot from weight of ice and snow. Have never had a claim even questioned.
You must have lousy cheap insurance if you've had that much trouble with claims.
You get what you pay for, Willis.
Four words. P. T. S. D.
Post Thunder Storm Damage?
Put That Stuff Down?
Put That Stone Downhill
Pancaked Thanks to Seismic Distruction
Prepare That Sizable Dumptruck
Pretty Tough Shovel Duty
Poo, That Squashed Dad
Please Throw Some Dynamite
I wonder if it gathered any moss on the way down?
Very Nice! Classy Kudos to you sir.
Well done, indeed.
YIKES!!!!!!
They forgot to mention that it also nearly trapped one archaeologist inside a cave.
Sorry, 'giant boulder' in the headline - I can't help myself.
I'm from Southern California. We get these a lot after fires and rain devastate the hill sides. We had a 14 year old girl that was killed in her bedroom while she slept. It broke the community's heart, to say the least. I'm extremely glad that no one was in the path of this one.
This happened several times in a small town of Fountain City Wisconsin. Not pretty. The last one killed a man, and missed his wife sleeping next to him.
Now that's not funny and here everyone is talking about insurance and making boulder jokes. That is really sad. I feel sorry for the wife. That must have been traumatic for her.
There's a hill in Ohio??
Athens is in South East Ohio. The northern part of the state is flat. The southern part is hilly. Thank you, glaciers.
Yes, and quite a few. And unlike zapper who probably doesn't live here, there are a LOT of hills in northern Ohio. My county is well above sea level and there are tons of hills here.
There are alot of hills in Ohio....I live in the mid east section and we are full of them.
I have never seen any flatter land than when I lived in Putnam County Ohio can see miles away__but yes very hilly in ither sections of Ohio
I don't live in Buckeye land anymore but I was born and raised there. Yes, many hills in the southern part of the state. The northern part has some as well because if I recall that's where the only ski hill in Ohio is located.... And I do mean hill compared to the great Rocky Mountains where I lived most of my adult life.
lol, I know. My mom lives above the "Old-n-Grungy" river. I just couldn't resist! ;D
For anyone who wants to see more pics, go to the second link down on this site:
(take out the spaces after http: when posting)
http: //www.athensohiotoday.com/
I liked the "No Parking - Falling Rock" sign! :-)
Seriously, why would you build a house in a location where there is a danger of falling rocks? I mean, they knew enough to put the sign there, they should know enough to not build there. It's like the dummies on the shore here in CA, building their homes on cliff sides that are CERTAIN to erode away over time!
Glad nobody was hurt, though.
Glad no one was hurt but the boulder actually did them a favor by blocking out the view of the house.
Property value had to go up.
leave the boulder in place, and build the house around it. It'll stop the next one that comes down from going through the house. Plus it looks like beautiful rock - many people pay to have a rock hauled in to accent their landscaping. Mother nature gave this one up for free..
lol I was actually thinking to myself that I'd leave it there as a conversation piece.
It would make a GREAT center piece to the NEW rock garden they planned on building.
We actually looked at a house built around a boulder when we were house shopping 12 years ago. We opened the door to what we assumed was a storage room in the basement and were faced with a massive boulder! It was fun contemplating what to do with the room. A climbing wall was one point discussed!
Rather large for that, don't you think? If it were split in half, it would do nicely.
....they should name that rolling stone.....Papa.....wherever it layed it's hat was it's home.....!!...sorry...
Andy Stone?
Thank you! I couldn't believe I made it this far down the comments with no one mentioning that yet... Have to admit, it made me giggle a little. Gotta love unintended humor.
rock & roll
Rolling Rock
There's NO MOSS on this stone.
Paint it black. Then, it'd be a "bad day at Black Rock."
In Athens, in many places, it's just "stoned." BTW, Athens has one of the major party schools in the country: Ohio University. It's on spring break right now, so that can't blame the students for this one.
if you live in glass houses.....
I am so tired of the negativity here. What is with some of you people? We still live in the best country in the world, yet some of you NEVER have anything nice to say about ANYTHING!
This family was very lucky...............so glad all are safe.
"Wow honey we sure were lucky it only got the car and the house..............honey where's the cat?"
Tip: Build your house on TOP of the hill...
Ok, just having fun - before someone blasts me. Glad no one was hurt.
They're super lucky. It could have easily happened at any other time, like when whomever was getting in their car for work.
I'm pretty sure that standard property insurance will NOT cover the damage to the house. Check you own policy....landslides (which this would be classified as), floods and earthquakes are typically excluded. Car insurance will probably cover the car.
It's a boulder. Rain-dislodged boulders are covered, Shooby, just as tree damage that are also downed by wind and rain. It all depends upon what caused the rock to fall. If it was an earthquake, it's not covered, but rain and windstorm are always covered in an HO5.
Judging by the look of the house, it's fully covered by an HO5 type policy for all losses excluding earthquake and flood which require separate policies.
"As for what led to the boulder's destructive journey, Andy Stone, the city's public works chief,..."
hehe
I am glad that no one was hurt.
Andy Stone--not as cool as Keystone Light spokesman Keith Stone. Speaking of beer, anyone up for a Rolling Rock?