The damage from the hail will exceed BGN 100 million

Publish date 24 July 2014
The damage from the hail will exceed BGN 100 million image

Damages from the devastating hail in Sofia could cost insurers over BGN 100 million. So far, large companies alone have claimed damage to nearly 50,000 vehicles.

For some of the insurers the term for filing the claims is already over. In others, however, the inspections continue at least until the end of the month. That is why it is still too early to draw the line. However, insurers will have to pay tens of millions in compensation.

The repair shops are also full of cars waiting for repairs. In one metropolitan service station alone, 50 cars have already been repaired in the last two weeks, and at least another 300 are waiting in line.

"Schedules are being prepared, we take into account when it will be convenient for customers to leave their cars - there are arrangements for September-October - but it also depends on the severity of the repairs," said Kamen Malinchev, director of Production at the car repair shop.

With priority, windows, headlights and taillights are replaced and only then the smoothing of the sheets begins. And most of them are like after the war. In the coming months, at least 50,000 cars must pass through the repair shops.

For so much damage is already registered with insurers. The inventories continue, but the companies are already starting to calculate the losses.

"On average, the damages that have been filed so far are between BGN 2,000 and 4,000 per car, there are also more expensive ones, where the damages reach over BGN 10,000," commented Iveta Kunova from the Association of Insurance Brokers.

So far, the companies are not giving any signs of problems with covering the damages and the compensations will start to be paid in the middle of next week. For some of the insurers, covering the damage from the hail will not increase the price of the policy for next year. Currently, drivers with more damage pay more expensive motor hull insurance.

Removing the damage can take weeks, as the repair shops are literally overwhelmed with work. There are orders at least until the beginning of next year.

And exactly how much the hail cost the insurers will be clear in a few weeks, when all the damages are filed.

Source: profit. bg