Insurance company to pay tourist storm compensation

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

The High Civil Court has ordered an insurance company to pay a GCC citizen BD4,814 in compensation for damage to his vehicle caused by falling metal sheets during a storm.

The incident occurred in March of this year while the vehicle was parked in front of a Hoora hotel where the citizen was staying. Lawyer Bandar Shamal Al Dosari represented the citizen in the case. He stated that his client parked his car in the designated parking area of the hotel. During a night of strong winds, metal sheets fell from the hotel, causing significant damage to the vehicle, which was valued at BD30,000.

An expert assessment estimated the repair costs at BD3,539. The hotel, a defendant in the case, presented evidence that its facilities were insured by the insurance company (the second defendant). The hotel also provided documentation showing that it had reported the damage to the insurance company and the estimated repair cost of BD3,539. The plaintiff sued for compensation, claiming negligence.

The final judgment ordered the insurance company to pay BD4,814 in compensation. While the lawyer had requested BD3,539 for repairs and an additional BD5,000 for depreciation in the vehicle’s market value, the court awarded compensation only for the direct repair costs.