Rogue shopping trolley wrecked my car

After inspecting over 180,000 car insurance claims received in 2007, AA Insurance has revealed some of last year’s most outrageous and obscure car calamities.

Whilst you may believe that insurance claims are solely for bumps, bangs and burglaries, data released today shows that livestock, shopping trolleys and flying fruit were the cause of the more unusual car claims made by AA Insurance customers in 2007.

With over one million AA car insurance customers it wasn’t an easy task but AA Insurance has identified the top unique driving disasters of last year:.

Bulls Eye – You expect to see a few animals on a trip to the countryside but finding one on top of her car certainly took Mrs R by surprise. After crashing through a fence and making a rather large dent in the bonnet, the bull and driver were lucky to escape with minor bumps – the car was not!

You Snooze, You Lose – Mr L found his trip to Holy Island in Northumberland so relaxing that as he sat in his campervan admiring the view, he nodded off. However, he woke up to find he’d parked on the causeway and the tide had come in. Whilst he was safely rescued by boat, his van sank without trace.

Upsetting the Applecart – A shocked Mr A was taken by surprise when he experienced a rather unusual downpour. It wasn’t rain showering down on his car but apples from a forklift truck

Supermarket Sweep – Flying balls, jumping deer and barking dogs...we thought we had heard them all until Mrs P claimed “several airborne shopping trolleys came flying towards me ruining my bonnet.” The offending trolleys had fallen off a delivery lorry.

All Washed Up – Mr K found himself in deep water on a trip to the car wash. When a brush came loose and scraped down the side of his vehicle he opened the door to press the emergency button. Unfortunately, the machine jammed in the open door, writing off both car and carwash.

Barking Mad – AA Insurance customers were pet crazy last year with over 150 claims surrounding dogs alone! Mrs T claimed: “I was distracted whilst driving by a big barking dog so I collided with a tree.”

Bless you! –And finally…Divine intervention didn't stop Mr L's unfortunate incident: “I sneezed and drove into a church wall.”

Janet Pell, head of AA car insurance, says: “We’re used to seeing the countless conventional claims for car damage but it’s always interesting to hear the more bizarre claims people make. It just goes to show, you need to ensure you’re covered for all eventualities, however far-fetched they might seem.”