I am sure that any arborists who are running their own business are well aware that the logging/arborist industry is consistently ranked as one of the most dangerous occupations in the U.S. This statistic is measured by number of fatalities per 1,000 workers. While I am not going to get into any details of worker’s compensation claims that we have seen, below is a list of some of the more interesting and costly property, liability, auto and equipment claims that we have seen.

We have been insuring arborists for over 20 years, so we have seen our fair share of interesting and dangerous claims for property, liability auto and equipment. So, here goes my David Letterman top 10 actual claims scenarios for arborists that we have seen over the past few years (no names of course):

1. Bird flies into front windshield of vehicle, $350 damage
2. Stump grinder debris damages new parked Mercedes, $9,800 damage
3. Arborist removed wrong tree, $10,000 damage
4. Truck driving down road catches power lines causing power outage, $11,800 damage
5. Tree being carried over house falls through roof, $12,000 damage
6. Bobcat runs into truck, $17,300 damage
7. Tree branch falls on ornamental iron statue, $18,000 damage
8. Ladder falls off truck on highway hitting passing vehicle, $31,000 damage
9. Tub grinder catches on fire, $175,000 damage
10. Crane tips over, operator error, $375,000 damage

While this is certainly not a complete list, it gives you an idea of some of the potential dangers that the arborist industry faces every day. Make sure that your insurance program has you properly covered! There is way more to your insurance program than just price, it’s all about the coverage. Work with the Arborist Insurance experts at McSweeney & Ricci Insurance Agency, Inc. to design the program that fits your needs.