We all know the old phrase “crime doesn’t pay” isn’t really accurate. Too many people have made an awful lot of money through criminal enterprises. However, a couple of Florida teens are going to profit from their crimes in a way that has all kinds of people up in arms:
The man hit by a group of teenager’s speeding in a stolen SUV tells ABC Action News he feels like a victim again after a controversial move by his insurance company.
Even though Pinellas County investigators determined Ricky Melendez was an innocent victim, GEICO just made a big payout to the teens’ families after deputies say they embarked on an erratic crime spree, resulting in a deadly crash.
“I didn’t even know what hit me, I had no clue,” Melendez said of the explosive August 6 collision.
Melendez was blindsided on his way to work by a stolen Explorer speeding 100-plus miles per hour through a red light at the intersection of U.S. 19 and Tampa Road in Palm Harbor.
Melendez is still using a wheelchair to get around and has suffered all kinds of problems, and now he’s worried this will come down as a hit on his insurance record — and possibly result in his premiums being raised.
The crash was ruled as being the fault of the teens who had reportedly stolen the vehicle and crashed into Melendez. He did nothing wrong.
Yet now the families of the criminals responsible are going to get a cash payout.
Nothing about this makes any sense. Even if the teens hadn’t stolen the SUV, there would be nothing for the company to pay out. It wasn’t Melendez’s fault, for crying out loud.
Many people want their insurance to pay enough for them to get a replacement vehicle, not just the depreciated value of their old car. But here GEICO is paying for nonsense the policy holder didn’t have any responsibility for. There’s a reason people are up in arms over this. It’s stupid.
If the accident had been Melendez’s fault, it wouldn’t have mattered if the SUV was stolen or not — the company would need to pay out. That’s not what happened, though. They’re paying the people who caused the accident, not the victim.
The stupid in this is so obvious to see, even a caveman could do it.
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