Ryan Fisher and his family say they’re grateful after their insurance company told them they would pay out the claim for Fisher’s stolen Rough Terrain Vehicle (RTV).
The 22-year-old man used his Kubota RTV around his home to help with chores. Fisher has autism and his family says the vehicle helped to give him a sense of purpose and independence.
Last month, it was stolen from his family’s driveway and the Fishers filed a claim under their homeowner’s insurance. According to NBC-affiliate WLWT, they were told that the C $26,000 RTV would be covered.
“We got all excited,” Ryan’s mother Theresa Fisher said. “And then they said no.”
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Erie Insurance spokesperson Leah Knapp told Global News that they had to investigate the particularities of how Ryan’s RTV was being used: was it registered as a car or a truck, or as a motorized vehicle (such as an electric wheelchair)?
Because Ryan had driven his RTV on the street as a part of a parade, the insurance company said it “added some complexity” to the claim, because it could technically have had to have been covered under an auto policy, not a homeowner’s policy.
“I don’t know where their heart is in this if they even have one at this point. If they could just see him, and see how heartbroken they would quit making excuses,” Fisher’s grandmother Betty Sizemore said.
Theresa Fisher wrote on Facebook that her son was trying to save up money to buy a new RTV, doing odd jobs and finding things he could sell for cash. A family member created a Go Fund Me account for him too.
But on Wednesday, Erie posted an update on their Facebook page saying they would pay the Fisher family’s claim.
Citing privacy concerns, Erie said they could not comment on whether their “extensive review” revealed that the Fishers’ policy allowed for the stolen RTV claim, or whether this was a one-time exception.
“These are our customers,” said Knapp. “We want them to be happy and made whole again. The family was patient with us and gave us the opportunity to investigate this fully.”
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The Fishers posted a video of Ryan finding out that they would be able to afford a new RTV for him.
“Whoo! Yes!” he yells.
Theresa Fisher wrote that the family was grateful and wanted others who supported them to pay it forward.
“If there was anyone who was still wanting to donate to his [Ryan’s] Go Fund Me, just use that money to make someone else’s day or Christmas in honour of Ryan. Thank you everyone!”
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