People take out insurance policies because they want the peace of mind that even if the worst-case scenario comes to pass, they will at least have the resources to start to rebuild or do what they can to be okay.
This is also true for businesses, as security insurance plans are in place to protect businesses and security officers from insurmountable losses.
In some cases, these claims can total a considerable amount of money, and with that in mind, here are some of the largest insurance payouts ever claimed in the UK.
Mr Bean Crashes A Priceless Supercar
The legendary comedian Rowan Atkinson is known for many iconic roles, including Blackadder, Mr Bean and Johnny English. However, he is also one of the UK’s biggest petrolheads, which proved to be an exceptionally costly pursuit of his in 2011.
Mr Atkinson is the owner of one of the fastest cars ever made, the McLaren F1, with a top speed of 230 miles per hour, and a car that was the centrepiece of a collection that includes Aston Martins, the Honda NSX and several other rare cars.
He has, in fact, only crashed the McLaren F1 twice. The first was in a collision with a Rover Metro in 1999 which required substantial repairs, but the much bigger crash happened in August 2011, when he wrapped the supercar around a tree.
The car caught fire and the vehicle was almost completely destroyed, ultimately requiring a year to be repaired, leading to an insurance payout of £910,000, by far the largest single car insurance payout in British history.
Before Mr Atkinson’s crash, the largest ever insurance payout for a car accident was to an unnamed and unfortunate owner of a Pagani Zonda supercar, which when loaned out to an unnamed driver spun out of control, hit a telegraph pole and smashed through a fence.
The damage was worth £300,000, over half the cost of the car itself, as it was sent back to Italy to be repaired.
The Floods Of 2012
One of the wettest years on record was 2012 when the UK and Ireland were hit by a near-constant series of storms and downpours. Because these storms hit just after a drought, the dry ground could not cope with the rainfall which lead to increased flooding than normal.
Over 500,000 people, from homeowners, to motorists to business directors, made insurance claims for weather and flood damage, with the overall payout estimated to have exceeded £1.33bn and tragically claiming the lives of at least nine people.
This was the biggest flood insurance payout since the major floods of 2007 and led to changes in how flood insurance works in the UK.
West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust 2018 Medical Negligence Case
The highest ever medical negligence payout came from a tragic series of circumstances where a six-year-old boy contracted a virus that caused a serious brain injury.
The child, not named in the case, contracted the herpes virus at Watford General Hospital, which caused a brain fever that was not treated for two days, causing damage to his brain that has led to communication difficulties, damaged eyesight, limitations to movement and cognitive function as well as behavioural issues.
The child will receive a lump sum payout as well as annual tax-free and index-linked payments to ensure that he receives the 24-hour care he needs for the rest of his life, which was estimated to be worth more than £37m.
