Question:
Does comprehensive cover something that fell out of pickup bed of
my truck and that is damaged beyond repair?
Answer:
No. Personal belongings that you place in the bed of your pickup
truck are not normally covered by your car insurance policy.
If you have a tool box that falls out of the back of your truck
while you are driving down the street or a piece of furniture slips
off the back while you are on the freeway, generally your auto
insurance won't pay for any damages to your item, even if it's
totally beyond repair.
Your liability coverages only cover those that you damage in an
accident, not your own vehicle.
Physical damage coverages of
collision
and comprehensive are there to cover your truck if it receives
damages and needs to be repaired, or is so damaged that it's
totaled out, not the belongings you have inside of it, unless they
are attached to the vehicle.
Comprehensive in particular covers your vehicle for "
other than collision
" damages that your insured vehicle sustains, such as hail damage,
glass damage, theft and vandalism. Your personal items are not
included in comprehensive coverage, even if they are stolen or are
damaged beyond repair after falling out of your moving vehicle.
So, if you had a seat stolen out of your truck, it would be
covered. If a loose GPS unit inside your vehicle or
tools laying in the back of your truck
are taken, they are not covered by your comprehensive coverage.
It's the same with items you put in the back of your truck. If
the item was attached by the manufacturer and was somehow broken
during a covered incident (such as a windstorm), then your
comprehensive coverage should pay to have your truck repaired. But
if the item falling off was not originally attached to the vehicle
by the manufacturer, there is normally no coverage for it.
An insurance company will usually see that this type of accident
as arising out of your own
negligence
, because you didn't secure loose items or properly tie down the
piece of furniture, etc. Though your items wouldn't be covered
under your car insurance policy, if your belongings damaged someone
else's car or property when it fell out, that should be covered by
your property damage liability coverage.
If you've had an incident where you lost a personal item due to
its fall from your truck, you can contact your homeowner's
insurance provider to see if the belonging would be covered under
that policy.