Re: Ma Chi's family sues insurers AXA after they withdraw coverage for deadly 'collis
Ferrari crash: Advance payouts offered
SINGAPORE - The insurers of the Ferrari involved in the crash that killed a taxi driver and his passenger and injured two others have taken the unusual step of offering advance payouts to the victims.
Normally, an insurer's payout to third-party victims would not be made until the insured driver is found to be at fault by the court, or until the consent of the driver's family is obtained.
In the May 12 crash, Mr Ma Chi, 31, is said to have run a red light along Victoria Street.
His car hit a taxi, which then hit a motorcycle. The cabby and his Japanese passenger died, while two others were injured.
AXA Insurance Singapore gave notice in July to the family of Mr Ma that it regards the incident as a collision, not an accident.
This means it will not provide insurance coverage for the family, but will settle the claims of third-party victims and then seek to be reimbursed by the family.
The family has challenged AXA's stand and a potentially landmark court case to settle the issue is pending.
AXA said on Tuesday that it had asked the injured victims - Mr Muhammad Najib Ghazali, 26, and Ms Wu Weiwei, in her 20s - and the families of Mr Cheng Teck Hock and Ms Shigemi Ito to submit their claims. It has settled an interim claim from Ms Wu for her medical costs, while responses from the others are pending.
Stressing that the crash was an "exceptional case" which was not covered by the insurance policy, AXA refuted the family's defence as "unreasonable".
It said in court papers filed on Tuesday that if traffic conditions were poor, as claimed by the Ferrari driver's family, then "the response of a prudent and reasonable driver will be to reduce speed to ensure the safety of himself, his passengers and other road users".
"The driver drove his Ferrari at a speed far in excess of the limit for the road and went through a junction where the lights were red against him for a substantial period of time," it added.
An AXA spokesman made it clear this was an extreme case "sitting far beyond the risks that motor insurance policies cover. We are of the view that as a responsible insurer, we provide cover for risk but we cannot guarantee cover for extreme acts of recklessness".
AXA, which has a presence in 57 countries, is one of the largest motor insurers in Singapore. It insured more than 120,000 cars and paid nearly $100 million in claims in motor insurance last year.
driving at that speed while marbok is killing not colliding or accident!
