Ri$k Happens: Lightning strikes

Sep. 27, 2020 - By Angela Cady, AIC - Loss Analyst, ARA Insurance

It was a dark and stormy night. The view alternated between inky blackness and blinding flashes of light. The wind howled around corners of the rental store and through the branches of nearby trees. The employees had battened down the hatches as best they could before leaving for the night.

The rental store owner arrived the next day to assess how the building had weathered the storm. She was pleasantly surprised to find no apparent damage to the building. As she opened shop for the day, she noticed the phones did not seem to be working. She looked to see if anything was disconnected, but the whole phone just seemed to be dead. She called the phone company from her cell phone. They agreed to send someone out.

She then turned her attention to making copies of safety checklists they used for their rental equipment, only to find that the printer also was completely dead and would not turn on. Her concern growing, she checked other electrical devices and found the camera system and their computer also were dead. She began to suspect lightning from the overnight storm had caused the damage.

The rental store owner turned in a claim to her insurance company. An adjuster was assigned and set to work investigating the loss. As part of his investigation, the adjuster will review data of lightning strikes in the area to help establish if lightning did indeed cause the loss. The investigation is ongoing.

Not all components can be protected but be sure to use surge protectors for your electrical devices when possible. Unplugging devices not in use can help protect them as well.

This item, provided by ARA Insurance, Kansas City, Mo., contains safety tips and is intended to help readers better understand and manage risk. For more safety and risk management information, customers of ARA Insurance can log on to ReSource. Access is free, so if you haven’t signed up yet, contact your agent or call 800-821-6580.