Insurer Refused Coverage For Hero

A man who sacrificed his car to stop a hit-and-run driver in central France has been able to buy a new vehicle after hundreds of strangers came together to fund a replacement. 

Motor Insurer Denied Claim - Yaya Sow, a painter and plasterer, prevented a hit-and-run driver from fleeing the scene of a fatal accident on August 23, 2023, by using his car as a shield. That vehicle was a write-off, but his insurance company refused to cover him for the incident, judging that his choice to intercept the hit-and-run driver was deliberate. As a result, he had been without a vehicle since the accident. 

Crowdfund - Now, Mr Sow, who is based in Limoges (Haute-Vienne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine), has been able to buy himself a small van to replace the vehicle he sacrificed after a total of 723 people donated to an online crowdfund set up in his honor.

Cathy Meunier, also from Limoges, set up the crowdfund for the ‘hero of Limoges’ after hearing Mr Sow’s story, and the negative response from his insurance company. She works with elderly people, and was particularly moved by the incident, after hearing that the would-be hit-and-run driver had hit and killed a person in their 70s. The would-be hit-and-run driver was captured and later sentenced to three years in prison for the killing.

The fund-raising campaign enabled us to collect a nice sum, €13,000 from 723 donors, Mr Sow has also changed his vehicle insurance company.