Lloyd’s of London, an insurance company famous for writing insurance policies on some really odd and unorthodox things, has insured Santa Claus. That’s right, Santa Claus, the one who drops off presents to all the good little girls and boys every Christmas Eve, now has a personal accident insurance policy through Lloyd’s of London.
This is not the first time that Lloyd’s of London has been in the news as a result of an unusual insurance policy they have written. A model once took out a “happiness policy” with Lloyd’s of London, to insure against “worry lines” developing on her face. Someone took out a policy worth $22,400 against “death caused by accident”, just in case Sputnik fell out of the sky and onto that person. There have been policies against the risk of having twins, having a church social rained out, and against having a person’s lover leave the insured person. They have created insurance policies to protect specific body parts of certain celebrities. This includes Jimmy Durante’s nose, Betty Grable’s legs, and Fred Astaire’s legs. Considering what Lloyd’s of London has insured in the past, it cannot be much of a surprise that this is the company that Santa Claus went with.
Yes, you read that right. Santa Claus, the same one that your preschool cannot wait to have stop by her house on Christmas Eve, has his very own personal accident policy through Lloyd’s of London. The policy runs until December 25 of this year.
It provides protection in case Santa Claus experiences an accident or an illness anytime between now, and when he finishes his worldwide travels this Christmas Eve. Lloyd’s of London has set up a 24 hour telephone helpline, just for Santa Claus, in case he has an emergency while traveling, so he can be immediately evacuated from anywhere on earth or in earth’s air space, at any time. Whatever medical treatment he may need, as a result of that emergency, or an unrelated accident is covered by the policy. There is an indemnity clause, which provides protection to Santa Claus in case someone sues him for not delivering their presents to them.
To get this policy, Santa Claus would have to have submitted to a full physical exam, and provide a flight map that would describe the exact route he plans to travel. The underwriters will also want to see proof of an International Aircraft Certification for Santa’s sleigh. One of Lloyd’s of London’s underwriters that specializes in policies involving livestock will need to confirm that each of the flying reindeer were healthy, and in fit condition as well.
Image by Stefan Le Du on Flickr