‘Unbearable’ costs: How a black bear trapped trapped itself inside a family’s vehicle, and exposed a costly car insurance mistake

It’s an unusual and extreme case, but still a good note for Canadian drivers to take. The mandatory portion of your insurance covers crashes, but it won’t pay to repair the type of damage done by a bear unless you’ve added the appropriate optional coverage.

What happened to the car?

A neighbour called 911 after hearing a car horn blaring and noticed a bear inside. Police arrived to wake the family and get the keys to unlock the vehicle, however, the bear had ripped out the wiring in a panic to free itself, making the power locks useless.

In their second attempt to free the bear, officers tied a rope to a door and pulled it open from a distance, and the bear ran off unharmed. By then, the vehicle’s interior was destroyed, according to the owner, Michael Wilson.

The family said that the same bear had broken into three other cars that same night. Wilson’s advice for other car owners: “Don’t put any candy in your car, and lock your doors.”

Problems like this happen in Canada, too. In 2024, a black bear broke into a vehicle in Larder Lake, Ontario, shredding the inside before taking a nap. Vehicle owner Kayla Seward was later told that her insurance company wouldn’t cover the damage because she didn’t have full coverage.

Why isn’t animal damage covered by basic insurance?

Vehicle insurance coverage is mandatory in every province, but the coverage typically only covers crashes, injuries and damage caused to other parties. For damage caused by something other than a crash, like a deer strike or a falling tree, coverage comes from an add-on.

The Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) lists four optional coverages for your vehicle:

1. Collision: pays when your vehicle hits another car or object, or rolls over.
2. Specified perils: covers for specific causes listed in your policy, such as fire, hail, windstorms, and theft.
3. Comprehensive: pays for damage not caused by a collision, including vandalism and falling objects.
4. All perils: includes both collision and comprehensive.

If a bear destroys a parked car, it’s not considered a collision, nor is it included on the typical specified perils list. In Michael Wilson’s case, comprehensive or all perils are the add-ons most likely to apply. IBC Director of Consumer and Industry Relations Anne Marie Thomas was able to shed more light.

“An animal causing damage to a vehicle would be a comprehensive claim. Specified Perils only covers listed perils such as: Fire, lightning, theft/attempted theft, wind and hail,” Thomas told Money.ca. “If a driver wants to ensure that they are covered for most vehicle damage they can opt to buy All Perils coverage. All Perils coverage is one coverage that covers the majority of damage.”

Many Canadian insurance brokers also list animal collisions under comprehensive, rather than a collision claim. Drivers who skip a comprehensive add-on may be exposed, particularly if you live in a rural area where animal strikes are more common.

If you lease or finance your vehicle, your lender may require you to carry this additional coverage. If you own your car outright, you can choose whether you add it on, and some drivers opt out to save money.

How much can damage from an animal strike cost?

You might be surprised. Over the past five years on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast alone, bears have caused more than an estimated $277K in vehicle damage, according to the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia. That number spans across 110 claims between 2017 and 2021, breaks down to about $2,500 each claim and doesn’t include crashes with bears.