Picture this: A cruel wind blows. The swanky restaurant’s owner decided that it was time for his beloved restaurant to have a facelift. This involved removing the awning over the front door for a time as renovations progressed. The owner did not want his fancy clientele to get rained on or melt in the hot sun while they waited for the valet. He decided to rent a tent from a local rental store to use as a temporary awning. One day, one of the restaurant’s patrons was waiting outside under the tent for her husband to bring around the car. It already had been storming, but as she waited the storm picked up alarmingly. The wind slapped the branches of nearby trees back and forth. The rain and hail pounded the ground. The restaurant’s hostess encouraged the waiting-woman to come back inside, but she refused. The woman could see her husband’s car headed that way. At that moment, a mighty gust of wind caused the tent to collapse and strike the woman in the head. She received a gash to her forehead, which required stitches. She continued to have headaches and neckaches after the incident. The restaurant soon received a letter from the lawyer she retained. The restaurant put the rental store on notice since its tent had been involved. A claim was reported to the rental store’s insurance provider. The matter is under investigation.
ARA Insurance recommends that you make sure your employees and customers understand that a tent is never a safe place to shelter during severe weather. Instead, encourage them to have an evacuation plan in place to avoid preventable injury.
For more information, call or visit ARAinsure.com.