View Single Post
Old 08-14-14, 12:21 PM
  #1  
jaywbee3 
jaywbee3
 
jaywbee3's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Southern New Hampshire
Posts: 64

Bikes: Surly LTH, Burley Duet, Trek 7300

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Bike charity - insurance question

I fix up unwanted bikes and give them away through local charities like the local soup kitchen and local Boys and Girls club. I give every bike a tune up and some get extensive work like new wheels, cables, etc. Generally this means striping the bikes of all parts and rebuilding, greasing what is tight and tightening what is loose.

I am a one guy operation, self-funded, just trying to help folks out who are going through a tough time or might need a helping hand. A bike might mean the difference for someone of being able to get to work or not, or it gets a kid a bike who might otherwise never get a chance to ride.

Lately I have run into a question of liability, i.e. what happens if someone is hurt riding on one of the bikes that I worked on? I do not give the bikes directly but I give them to the charity and they hand them out. It is all on an “as is” basis and no guarantee or warrantee is made by either me or the charity. I know that the charities have liability insurance but that does not or may not cover me. I am concerned that if someone is hurt on one of the bikes I worked on that some ambulance chaser will see a lawsuit at my expense.

I talked to my homeowner’s insurance company to see if my existing insurance would cover me or if I can get an umbrella policy. Their response was no, that I needed “products and completed operations” coverage. They did direct me to a local agency, but they are having a tough time getting a quote.

Is there anyone else out there doing anything similar? Do you have liability coverage? Can you let me know what insurance company issues your insurance? Any other suggestions?

Anyone interested can find out more about my operation by going to Let's Put People On Bikes: Home
Thanks.
JB

PS - Moderators, please feel free to move if this is not the appropriate forum.
jaywbee3 is offline