An errant cannonball that was shot off by the co-hosts of the MythBusters television show has caused some unexpected damage to some unfortunate families homes, (and a vehicle). The stars of MythBusters have apologized to the families, and will not air the footage. What insurance should the damage claims be sent to?
MythBusters is a television program that is shown on the Discovery channel. It features the hosts Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage, who set out to discover if certain myths are actually true. They do a scientific experiment that is designed to debunk, or prove, the myth that they are exploring for that particular episode. Often, this type of science involves explosions, and destruction, done in a relatively controlled situation.
Recently, the co-hosts of the MythBusters show set out to test a myth about whether or not a stone cannonball could actually punch through the walls of a castle. The test-run of this experiment was being run by the co-hosts of the show, Tory Belleci, Kari Byron, and Grant Imahara. It was conducted at the Alameda County bomb ordnance range.
Unfortunately, something went wrong. While the homemade cannon was being calibrated, it accidentally fired too high into the air. Instead of the cannonball hitting some water barrels and a brick wall located on the bomb ordnance range, it flew out past the range.
The cannonball sailed into a residential neighborhood, went through a house, across a six-lane road, and bounced off a roof of another house. It finally crashed down onto the roof of a parked minivan. The minivan’s window and dashboard were smashed. No one was injured.
Since then, hosts Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman have gone to apologize, in person, to the families whose homes, (and minivan), were damaged by their cannonball. The footage from this experiment will not be aired on the MythBusters show.
Can you imagine trying to submit a claim for cannonball damage to your car insurance or homeowners insurance company? Fortunately, the families affected by the MythBuster’s cannonball won’t have to do that. The production company is going to cover the cost of the property damages. It will also cover any hotel charges of the affected families while their homes are being repaired.
Typically, production companies will have purchased some form of liability insurance that is designed to cover things like damages, injuries, and potentially even court fees. It is wise to have that type of policy just in case something goes wrong, like, a misfired cannonball, for instance.
Image by Charles Pluta on Flickr