Auto Insurance Claims: Shopping Cart, damaged car, homeowners insurance

Question
I was unloading groceries into the back of my vehicle when my shopping cart got away and started rolling down an incline.  I could not catch it and it hit a parked car and dented it.  I exchanged information with the owner of the parked vehicle.  Am I able to claim this on auto insurance or homeowner's and is the grocery store in any way liable?  Should I have called the police or made out an incident report at the grocery store?

Answer
Hi Karen,

Your auto insurance will not cover this because it did not directly involve your vehicle. It is possible that your homeowners insurance will cover it, however, it would be subject to your deductible and in most cases when you make a claim on your homeowners insurance they will cancel your policy.

You should ask the owner of the damaged car to get a couple of estimates and consider paying the cost out of your pocket. Since it is just a ding from a shopping cart the cost will likely be less than $500.00. You will also owe him for a rental car during the repair.

I hope this helps
Richard Hixenbaugh