I have it on good authority that the waterfront in Petoskey as well as the pier is a GREAT place to find Pokémon. I have also heard that places like the Historical Museum, Stafford’s Gallery and Indian Hills Gallery are Poke’ Stops. Right about now you are probably assuming our blog has been hacked by a Pokémon fanatic. While I will admit that I have ventured out and caught a few, (currently level 5 with a total of 17 caught) and may be competing with my son (it’s great mother/son bonding time), what I want to talk about is safety, for those playing and not playing. And while this might not directly be correlated to insurance, an accident while hunting Pokémon could very well end up as a claim with your home, auto or business insurance carrier.
Safety Suggestions for hunting Pokémon:
- ALWAYS be aware of your surroundings.
- Venture out in group
- Pay attention to sidewalks, crosswalks, driveways, docks, piers, bridges and people.
- DO NOT venture onto someone else’s property without permission.
- DO NOT hunt Pokémon when you are driving.
- DO NOT try to break or bend the rules when it comes to city ordinances and park hours.
Now, I am sure you are questioning where the insurance comes into play. Here are a couple scenarios:
-
Little Billy from down the street is on the hunt for one of the rarest legendary Pokémon’s named Ditto, and for whatever
reason the game designers decided that your driveway was the best place for it to be. Your paved driveway is in dire need of repair; cracked, uneven and has pot holes in it. Now Billy comes over all the time to pet your dog Spot so he feels comfortable enough to walk up your driveway to catch Ditto. On his way he trips in a pot hole, falls and breaks his brand new permanent front tooth. Guess what? Not only do you have a rare legendary Pokémon in your driveway, but now you have a medical bill for the emergency room visit and dental surgeon that was required to fix Billy’s tooth. However – you have home insurance through your local, hometown agent and you are able to submit the bill to your insurance carrier to initiate a claim. Reimbursing Billy’s parents up to the medical payment limit on your policy. -
Your family is eating at your favorite local restaurant. Sweet Suzy has her iPod to occupy her time while waiting for your food and spots a Pikachu across the restaurant. She is so excited she leaps out of her seat before you even know what is going on and races toward the Pikachu. Meanwhile a server is heading towards her table of 9 with a tray full of after dinner hot coffee cocktails. Sweet Suzy and the server slam into each other, the tray of hot coffee drinks splashing onto sweet Suzy and the elderly gentleman at the table next to them. All three encounter 1st degree burns on their hands. The restaurant owner carries a general liability and worker’s compensation policy so when they get the bill for Suzy’s and the elderly gentlemen’s emergency room visit and follow up care they submit the claim to their local hometown agent. They also submit the bill for their employees doctor visit and for the two weeks of work she missed due to the injury to their worker’s compensation carrier.
reason the game designers decided that your driveway was the best place for it to be. Your paved driveway is in dire need of repair; cracked, uneven and has pot holes in it. Now Billy comes over all the time to pet your dog Spot so he feels comfortable enough to walk up your driveway to catch Ditto. On his way he trips in a pot hole, falls and breaks his brand new permanent front tooth. Guess what? Not only do you have a rare legendary Pokémon in your driveway, but now you have a medical bill for the emergency room visit and dental surgeon that was required to fix Billy’s tooth. However – you have home insurance through your local, hometown agent and you are able to submit the bill to your insurance carrier to initiate a claim. Reimbursing Billy’s parents up to the medical payment limit on your policy.
Moral of the story: accidents happen, better to be prepared then unprepared, especially when Pokémon are involved.
P.S. – I also have it on good authority that not one, but two Pokémon have been caught in our office. I mean, if you are playing you might as well get them all, no judgement here!
