The VRT Radio 2 presenter Daan Masset's washing machine suddenly broke down. He is convinced that a lightning strike at his neighbour’s house has caused the machine to break down. However, Daan is finding it difficult to prove this to his insurance company. The VRT’s consumer affairs team asked Guy Van Antwerpen of the insurance website Verzekeringen.be for tips on how to prove that damage to an electrical appliance was caused by lightening.
Electrical appliance ruined by lightening strike at your neighbours’? The onus of proof is on you.
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What do you do if your washing machine, tumble dryer or freezer suddenly stops working after a lightning strike on a nearby house? This is what happened to the VRT Radio2 presenter Daan Masset and several of his neighbours recently. "Lightning struck a house a little further up the road.
Several of the residents' electrical appliances have been written off completely while others are still working but are now prone to breaking down. Daan Masset says that "An electric roller shutter and the neighbour's robotic lawnmower no longer work and the electronics in our washing machine are in a state of disarray."
Well-known phenomenon after lightning
It is a well-known phenomenon that after a fierce thunderstorm with lightning domestic appliances and other electrical goods end up being damaged.
As the appliances we use in our homes are becoming ever more high-tech there is a greater risk that they will become damaged. VRT News’ science editor Koen Wauters says that "The more electronic circuits a device contains, the greater the risk of damage. Today, many devices contain electronics”.
Household appliances or other electrical appliances being damaged by a lightning strike is a well-known phenomenon and it currently occurs more frequently than was the case in the past.
"The more electronics a device contains, the greater the risk of damage. Nowadays, we all have many devices containing electronics," VRT News’ science editor Koen Wauters of VRT NWS.
Although Daan is almost certain that lightning damaged his washing machine by causing a power surge he cannot find any hard evidence to prove this.
Guy Van Antwerpen of the online insurance platform Verzekeringen.be. told VRT News that damage caused by lightening is covered by fire insurance. However, in order to make a claim you must first prove that it was lightening that damaged your appliance and this is easier said than done.
Collecting evidence
Guy Van Antwerpen advises us that if the insurance company appoints an assessor to definitely ask them to look at your washing machine. "They can take a look inside the machine and they might be able to ascertain that it has been damaged by a power surge”.
Get together with your neighbour to collect and share as much evidence as possible to strengthen your claim. Guy Van Antwerpen adds that “You can ask the Royal Meteorological Institute KMI for an official document containing details of lightning strikes in your area. You can also ask the grid management company to supply proof that their was a power surge”.