Van Fire Ends Road Trip

Tahnee and Mark, 32 and 35 years old, Croydon South. 

“Thank you, Fast Cover! Great to deal with a company who know what they are doing for once. We are really happy with how you have insured us and communicated with us. We have very good faith in your company.”

Tahnee and Irish partner, Mark, were planning a trip to Canada for the second time. After making their way overseas and then purchasing a van from a local car shop for $5000, the couple set on their way to experience the woody planes of Vancouver.

DIY enthusiasts, Mark and Tahnee have never been one to shy away from a challenge. Once in Canada, they went to Home Depot. Here, they purchased items to assist with possible transmission issues they were afraid may occur. After also visiting a mechanic and making sure that the car was mechanically sound, the couple embarked on their trip.

“The best advice I can give is to insure the vehicle is fully inspected before purchasing. Be wary of purchasing cars overseas. If it seems too good to be true it probably is – believe it.”

On the second day of their trip, the transmission of the van gave way. About 150km outside of Vancouver, Mark and Tahnee took time to settle in for lunch before retiring for the night. As they were both outside of the van, Tahnee noticed that the van was on fire and beginning to smoke up!

Trying furiously hard to diffuse the flames, Mark tried to diffuse the mayhem, moving quickly to pour water on the fire.

“It was a moment of luck that we were not near the trees.”

 After trying to dispel the flames, Tahnee ran to the other car park nearby where she was able to get assistance from some young travellers, who went to find help.

After a long period of waiting and trying to manually diffuse the now completely inflamed car, help was found in the form of a helicopter, 45 minutes after they sought assistance.

Tahnee and Mark were able to contact Fast Cover’s Emergency Assistance team to make a claim for their personal belongings in the van that were fully destroyed. The claims team were able to assist the couple with putting in a claim for their belongings.

“Yes, I would recommend Fast Cover – not at all painful.”

The two women that assisted in finding help were able to help Tahnee and Mark collect what was left of their belongings, drove them to the police station and were happy to even stop by and give them beer and whiskey!

Mark and Tahnee were able to continue on their trip, opting to take the train for the next leg of the journey. Having a policy that covers backpackers, couples and even family travellers for luggage can be a huge help if things go wrong, lost, stolen or damage when you are travelling.

Fast Cover thanks Mark and Tahnee for sharing their story to highlight the importance of purchasing travel insurance and how it helped in her specific circumstances. If you'd like to share your travel insurance claim story to help your fellow travellers, you can do so here.

All benefits subject to terms and conditions of the insurance policy. Always read the relevant PDS to ensure the product is right for you.