YOU might assume that crashing your car after having a glass or two of whisky and some medications might make an insurance claim a little difficult.
However, Suncorp has been ordered to pay up after initially declining a $15,000 claim made by a 35-year-old who smashed his Mercedes A45 AMG into a median strip, after enjoying some "free-poured" scotch while at a friend's house.
When police arrived the man had bloodshot eyes and two bottles of gamma-butyrolactone were found in his possession.
The man recorded a breath analysis test for alcohol of 0.07%, above the 0.05% limit at the scene of the accident, but a subsequent test just over an hour later at a police station returned a reading of 0.045%, which allow him to be released without charge.
He then submitted a claim, only for Suncorp to knock it back after a pharmacist hired by the insurer concluded that alcohol was the main contributing factor in causing the accident, and noted that medications may also have impacted his competency behind the wheel, Insurance News reported.
However, the Australian Financial Complaints Authority ruled there was not enough evidence to support the assessment that the driver had been affected by alcohol or medication consumption, and ordered the insurer to retrieve the vehicle and arrange for it to be repaired.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 02 Feb 22
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