Friday the 13th is regarded as the unluckiest day in the calendar, when everything is likely to go wrong, and an accident awaits you at every step.
Whether you are superstitious or not, it’s good to be prepared to avoid some common household accidents for Friday the 13th – and in fact, any other day.
We’ve trawled home insurance claims made by Ageas customers to find some unlucky incidents you’ll want to avoid.
1. Broken mirrors
Break a mirror, and you risk seven years of bad luck, so goes the superstition.
A broken mirror caused immediate chaos for one Ageas customer. Not only did their mirror fall off the wall, but in doing so, it crashed against several figurines on the mantelpiece before taking out the TV screen.
2. Under a ladder
Ladders are a common cause of accidents in homes – whether or not someone has walked underneath them beforehand.
In one instance, a woman was up her ladder cleaning a light, and a knock at the door sent her dog scurrying under the ladder - she then fell and the ladder hit the TV.
3. Unruly umbrellas
Never open your brolly indoors. So goes the old superstition.
But people need to be more careful with brollies outside too. Garden umbrellas can cause mayhem, flying away and smashing property. And there was one customer who put his umbrella up on the golf bag which pressed against the forward button on his golf cart, which ended up in a lake.
4. A step too far
One particularly costly and common accident in the home involves people putting their feet through their ceiling, normally when fetching something from the loft. One person was doing some DIY in his upstairs bathroom when he accidently hit a pipe, springing a leak. In a panic, he put his foot through the kitchen ceiling.
5. The power of a sneeze
A cup of coffee, an expensive laptop and a powerful sneeze – you can guess what happened next. It’s not uncommon for this unfortunate combination to lead to a drink-damaged laptop and a hefty bill.
6. Not-so-lucky charms
Horseshoes are lucky, right? Not always. One customer’s lucky charm dropped on their ceramic worktop, cracking it.
Another managed to smash their crystal ornament in the shape of a four-leaved clover.
7. Toppling timepieces
Like smashed mirrors, broken clocks are also said to cause bad luck.
If you’re superstitious it’s perhaps best to avoid buying a grandfather clock, as it’s not uncommon for insurance claims for these tall timepieces falling over - especially when there are small children around. In one festive incident, a child knocked a grandfather clock down, which fell on the Christmas tree, and then the TV.
8. Hitting the roof
Perhaps celebrating some recent stroke of fortune, one customer’s luck ran out when they popped open a bottle of champagne, only for the cork to smashed straight through their conservatory roof.
9. Flushed away
Mobile phones often bear the brunt of household accidents. One person dropped their mobile down the toilet - having not realised what she had done, she flushed the loo and the phone was never to be seen again.
10. Glasses in the oven
Now where did you put those specs? Broken glasses, often trodden or sat on, are a common cause for home insurance claims. One unlucky person claimed for her specs after leaving them in the oven.
11. Game over for England fans
It’s a goal! Jumping, cheering, over-excited fans aren’t always compatible with homes full of expensive possessions. One fan knocked a TV off its stand whilst celebrating England scoring a goal.
12. Dangerous dusting
Televisions, ornaments, lamps, clocks… it seems nothing is safe from dusting, which is a common cause of accidental damage in the home, as people accidentally knock over and smash their precious items. Perhaps a job to refrain from this Friday the 13th.
13. Exploding beetroot
Sometimes bad luck strikes in the most unexpected of ways. One person made a home insurance claim after a jar of beetroot exploded, staining their kitchen carpet.
