It was a very early morning drive to work.
“It was going at a normal speed, about 65 to 75 miles per hour,” said Mike Spragley, a San Diego resident. “It was very foggy that morning and visibility was poor, and there was a Target shopping cart between the first and second passing lanes.”
Spragley crashed into the cart.
“It literally came out of nowhere,” Spragley said. “The cart literally exploded with chunks of debris flying everywhere.”
The California Highway Patrol told him a report came in just three minutes before it hit the cart, leaving $6,000 worth of damage to the front bumper, hood, two doors, mirrors and wiper tank.
If he had been fully insured, the aftermath might have been less painful, but the problem was that Mr. Spragley couldn’t find anyone to write him an insurance policy before the crash. is.
why? Because his car is considered high risk, but not because Spragley did anything.
“It was called the Kia Soul Challenge on TikTok,” he said. “So people were stealing Kia Souls. Kia actually did a recall. It became very easy to steal. But insurance companies in California were reluctant to cover the full cost of the car. So I had only basic responsibilities.
The Kia Soul Challenge has gone viral in 2022. The thieves stole the car with just a screwdriver and a USB cable.
“This trend is starting to subside a little bit,” said Bob Passmore of the Property Casualty Insurance Association of America. “One piece of advice is to go directly to the company. Buying insurance has never been easier.”
Mr. Spragley visited at least six companies to obtain insurance policies, but was turned down by all.
The only possible “yes” came just hours after his accident.
“It’s really sad that I’m in this situation right now,” Spragley said.
Spragley’s Plan B is to gather some friends and save some cash by finding the parts he needs at the scrapyard.
But as it turns out, he doesn’t regret buying the Kia a month ago. In fact, he said he would probably buy another one.
“I think the Kia Soul saved my life,” Spragley said. “Unless it was a big SUV, if it had hit any other place or maybe another car, it probably would have died.”
Passmore suggests that anyone who feels they’ve been treated unfairly while shopping around for car quotes should report it to the California Department of Insurance.
