There tends to be two types of superhero:
- The superhero who is naturally gifted, and wants to use their super abilities to help people.
- The superhero who is financially gifted, and wants to use their enormous wealth to help people. Usually by developing some sort of super-suit to emulate the same kinds of powers some superheroes are born with.
No matter which type of superhero you are, we can tailor a superhero insurance policy to suit you!
About Superhero Insurance
Recovering from the event of a supervillain showdown that could have brought the entire city to its knees is no prance through a meadow. And it all gets to be rather expensive too. Thankfully, superheroes are kind enough to lend their powers to the repair of damaged buildings and structures. But who pays for everything else?
It’s likely that if your city undergoes regular disturbances caused by supervillains with only superheroes to help neutralise the situation, that your city takes into account the specific risks and imposes some form of “superhero tax” that residents of the city must pay to contribute toward the upkeep of the city. Much like council tax to help pay for your local fire services, police force, road maintenance and so on. But this is unlikely to cover private property and commercial and residential buildings, which is where building insurance comes in. Not all insured properties will be affected by a supervillain disaster, but the money they spend on their superhero cover (which we assume will include acts of God to cover any damage caused by Thor and co.) will help to pay for those that are. And, in return, they themselves have some financial protection if they suffer an incident in future. The whole city pools together to help each other out! As a superhero in the public eye, helping wherever you can during the aftermath is just as good publicity as defeating the evil supervillain who caused the damage in the first place. And the help of a superhero goes a long way…
Cities like yours are typically high-stress as well as high-risk. People are going to be quick to criticise your efforts. The most common complaints include things like:
“Yeah, you saved my life, but could you not have saved my car too?”
“Well done for saving hundreds of thousands of lives today, and potentially even saving the world from evil aliens, but did you have to destroy all our buildings in the process?”
Some people just aren’t grateful. These are the people who will take you to court. Luckily, last February, England and Wales passed the “Social Action, Responsibility and Heroism Act 2015” (also know as the “Good Samaritan Law”) to legally protect heroes and good samaritans who attempt to help people in emergency situations. This means that if you were attempting to save someone’s life, you can’t be held liable for any damage caused whilst doing so. Before the bill was passed, many trained first-aiders admitted to being afraid to help in emergency situations in case they are sued should anything go wrong.
Richard Fernandez from St John’s Ambulance is quoted:
“We know that fear of being sued is leading to lives being lost unnecessarily. Our research indicates that this new law will make trained first aiders more willing to step forward when needed. We hope that more people will now come forward so more lives can be saved.”
Social Action
The court must have regard to whether the alleged negligence or breach of statutory duty occurred when the person was acting for the benefit of society or any of its members.
Responsibility
The court must have regard to whether the person, in carrying out the activity in the course of which the alleged negligence or breach of statutory duty occurred, demonstrated a predominantly responsible approach towards protecting the safety or other interests of others.
Heroism
The court must have regard to whether the alleged negligence or breach of statutory duty occurred when the person was acting heroically by intervening in an emergency to assist an individual in danger.
So that law will possibly protect you from being held liable for damage to property and accidentally causing injury to people whilst saving them, so long as you are acting responsibly… But, what about things like your vehicle, your headquarters (batcave, catcave or what have you), etc? Not to mention the right pickle you could get yourself in with super-strength, even if you weren’t on “duty” at the time. This is where things like public liability insurance comes in.
What insurance does a superhero need?
Professional Indemnity Insurance
We offer professional indemnity insurance for professional superheroes to defend yourself against allegations of professional negligence! If a civilian who you are protecting loses money or reputation as a result of your actions, this type of insurance will cover the expenses of legal costs and compensation fees. Claims may include accidentally disclosing the identity of someone who you previously rescued from an embarrassing situation during a television interview, thereby damaging their public reputation.
Employers Liability Insurance
Whether you have a butler who assists you in managing your headquarters, or a young apprentice sidekick who shadows you on the job, employers liability insurance is a legal requirement. Should anyone who works for you come to harm, they may seek financial compensation for their injury. It is your legal responsibility to ensure their well-being and safety.
Public Liability Insurance
Picture this: You go to open a door of a shop but, forgetting your super strength, the whole thing just comes off in your hand. Or when holding a superhero meeting in your secret cave lair, one of your superhero friends accidentally trips over a stalagmite. (If you’re a superhero, you’re probably no stranger to the many accidents your powers can cause…) Public liability insurance can financially protect you from any claims that may arise from such incidents.
HQ & Contents Insurance
Purchasing the right headquarters and contents insurance for superheroes is important to protect all your super awesome stuff (no doubt it’s expensive). Your supercomputer, high-tech gadgets or maybe your extensive weapon collection… if you rely on anything to conduct your superhero business, what would you do if it all went up in flames? Or if supervillains broke into your lair to steal everything?
Disclaimer: To qualify for superhero insurance, you must be registered as a licensed superhero with your local authority.
If you’re just a regular hero without the superpowers, you may be interested in our business insurance!
If you are Santa Claus looking to renew your insurance policy with us, sorry Santa, but we can’t legally class you as a superhero. Please visit our Santa Claus Insurance page for more details!
(This needn’t really be said, but this article is for entertainment purposes only…)