Will car insurance cover frozen iguana damage in South Florida? Curious305 investigates
Editor’s Note: This article was inspired by a question submitted from Miami Herald reader Liz Portal through Curious305, our community-powered reporting series that solicits questions from readers about Miami-Dade, Broward, the Florida Keys and the rest of the Sunshine State. Submit your question here or scroll down to fill out our form.
Hey, Curious305: How many insurance claims have there been in South Florida due to “frozen iguanas” that fall from trees/structures?
In South Florida, we don’t just have the risk of bird poop landing on our car whenever we park under a tree. We have iguanas, too.
While iguanas are strong climbers — Zoo Miami spokesman Ron Magill says climbing is “an instinct” iguanas have to avoid predators while they sleep at night — the critters tend to freeze and fall out of trees whenever temperatures dip into the 40s. And you might wake up to an iguana popsicle on your windshield.
State Farm says it has seen a vast array of auto damage caused by animals in the U.S. over the years, including crashes involving chickens, alligators, cows, even bats. The most common animal involved in crashes, not surprisingly, is deer (whether they are caught in the headlights or not).
But when it comes to falling iguanas damaging your hood or windshield, well, that’s a new one.
“Auto damage from animals actually is not uncommon (although falling iguanas may be solely a South Florida phenomenon!),” Michal Brower, a spokeswoman for State Farm in Florida, wrote in an email to the Miami Herald.
Florida saw about 50,800 animal collision claims between July 2020 and June 2021, according to a State Farm analysis published in October. State Farm says it doesn’t have claim-specific data on falling iguanas.
However, sometimes freak accidents happen, like in 2017, when a Local10 photojournalist driving his mini-van in Davie had a large iguana fall from a tree and land on his windshield, cracking it.
Iguanas, by the way, can get pretty big. The invasive species can grow to more than five feet in length and weigh up to 17 pounds. That’s more than a bowling ball, which generally weighs 6 to 16 pounds.
Iguanas eat plants and are known to cause infrastructure damage, including to seawalls and sidewalks. Sometimes they get run over or cause accidents.
In 2020, for example, an iguana crossing U.S. 1 near Marathon caused a crash that left a Boynton Beach fire captain and his daughter seriously injured. A bicyclist in the Keys also collided with an iguana that jumped in front of his bike.
However, it seems like auto damage caused by falling iguanas is rare. The insurance companies we spoke with said they didn’t have any falling iguana claim data.
But if it were to happen, would your insurance cover it?
Would insurance cover falling iguana damage?
Brower, the State Farm spokeswoman, said damage caused by falling objects — even an animal such as a frozen iguana — would be covered under State Farm’s Comprehensive coverage, which includes glass claims and windshield repair.
“Comprehensive Coverage is the coverage that kicks in to repair or replace a covered vehicle damaged by something other than collision or rolling over,” she wrote.
Similarly, Nationwide says it doesn’t have any reports that specifically mention falling iguanas, though if an incident did occur, it might be listed as a fallen object. Liberty Mutual, Progressive and Estrella Insurance did not respond to the Miami Herald’s inquiry.
“In a circumstance where an iguana damages your vehicle, this could be handled as a fallen object. Insurance carriers evaluate each claim on its own merits, and vehicle damage caused by an animal would typically be covered under the vehicle’s comprehensive coverage,” Nationwide said. “No matter how unique the cause of loss, Nationwide stands ready to service the needs of our customers in the event of a covered loss.”
Allstate also hasn’t had any falling iguana claims. Neither has Geico, although the company has seen instances when iguanas found their way under the hood of a car and caused mechanical damage or chewed wiring.
“On a handful of occasions, iguanas have also caused a crash after drivers swerved to avoid them in the road,” Geico said. “Speaking of reptiles, we’re thankful there appears to be no evidence geckos have ever been involved. That’s a huge relief!”
Sounds like just another day in Florida, where iguanas pop out of toilets, gators break into homes and escaped cow herds roam the streets.
This story was originally published March 17, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
