Nov. 9, 2007

What qualifies as "falling objects"? If a person trips and falls while carrying something and that something is destroyed or destroys something else, is that covered? Also, if a refrigerator full of food was lost during an extended power outage a month ago, is it too late to file a claim?

Laurie, Maryland

Dear Laurie,

When you see "falling object" on your homeowners policy, it refers to something such as a tree or an airplane that falls out of the sky and hits your house.

If you are carrying around a heavy object and drop it on something else, that isn't a falling object, but again, you're still covered. For example, if you're rearranging your furniture and drop your recliner on your piano, you can file a claim for the damage to the piano.

Regarding spoiled food, I spoke with Elena Mezile, a spokesperson for the Maryland Insurance Administration, and she says you should go ahead and file your claim. "The length of time to file a claim will vary from insurance company to insurance company and even policy to policy, but there's no way a month should be a problem," she explains. Mezile says that the maximum amount of time to file a claim — under Maryland law — is three years.

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