Don’t Forget to Clear the Roof

John, a retired Condon Skelly insured, cherished his 1973 Lamborghini Espada. Being a New Jersey resident, he primarily drove during the spring and summer months while storing his vehicle in his garage during the winter months.

Last February, NJ received a significant amount of snow fall. Although there were no major storms, snow from a number of small storms accumulated over time. John did not realize just how much snow was accumulating on the roof of his garage, and soon the weight became too much causing the roof to collapse. This caused significant damage to all contents inside, including his prized auto.

John was able to quickly report the collapse via our claims reporting email, [email protected]. In an effort to make things easier on John during this stressful time, we coordinated our appraisal on the vehicle with John’s homeowners insurance to estimate the damages. Unfortunately, we determined that the vehicle was a total loss.

John had experience rebuilding cars, so he decided to keep the salvage on his vehicle and use his settlement money to restore his Lamborghini. We recently received a picture of John’s newly restored vehicle and a thank you note for the terrific service we provided.

Like many other claims we handle, this situation could have been avoided all together if John had removed the snow. We recommend that you remove snow while it is still fresh. The weight of 10-12 inches of “new snow” is equal to about 3-5 inches of old, compacted snow or 1 inch of ice. Allowing snow to melt and freeze over time could set up a potential collapse in the event of a second or third snow storm accumulating on top of the existing snow and ice. Try to remove snow within a few hours of the end of the snowfall.

However, we must emphasize that you should NEVER climb on the roof to remove snow. The risk of injuries sustained from a fall far outweighs the benefits of removing the snow from your roof. Plus, the added weight of you on your roof could cause a collapse resulting in serious injury.

We recommend that you purchase a roof rake that will help you to remove the snow safely from the ground. You can find them online for as cheap at $40. A small investment can go a long way in protecting the large investment sitting in your garage! Make this part of your shoveling routine- don’t forget to clear the roof!