Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance Helps Clients in Times of Tragedy

By Samantha Czarnik | August 4, 2017 0 Comments

On Dec. 20, 2016, Joe Davidson, Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance property specialist, was assigned to a claim that hit close to home. The 18th-century family home of Carrie Engelbrecht, daughter of retired Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance agency manager Tom Franchville, had been destroyed in an electrical fire the night before. Davidson’s immediate response was to call the family to confirm that they were all safe and comfortable.

“The first thing I always do is make sure everyone is safe, and secondly, I try to meet their immediate needs – whether that’s an (monetary claims) advancement, housing or just being there for emotional support during a traumatic time,” Davidson says. After a brief conversation with Engelbrecht, Davidson confirmed that everyone was safe and at their son’s basketball game at the time of the fire.

The house was considered a total loss, but the family stayed optimistic knowing that in time, everything would soon be back to normal.

“I always give the families I work with a phone number of people who can salvage damaged property or sentimental belongings, such as family photos. We can help rebuild their house, but there are some things that cannot be replaced,” Davidson says.

“We were so fortunate that almost all of our photos were saved, and part of that was because of the amazing firefighters who took my three children’s photos off the wall as they made their way up the stairs,” says Engelbrecht.

The most important thing for Davidson when working with clients is to make sure he is available to them 24/7. Having a constant line of communication available is something he and the company are very proud of.

“I actually have Carrie and her husband Jason’s phone number memorized by heart,” he says. “Part of making sure the client is always comfortable is for them to know I’m always available. Once their initial shock wears off, I’ll be ready and waiting for all the questions they will have.”

Fortunately for the Engelbrechts, they have been rebuilding their house with hopes of moving back in September 2017.

“We are so happy with Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance, and couldn’t image going through this without insurance or the company. We want to use this situation to help others and let them know that it’s important to have insurance,” says Engelbrecht. “As a family, we are very hopeful and are so thankful that we were able to work with Joe. He was, and still is, always there for us when we need him.”

Davidson sums it up: “The Engelbrechts are really good people, who are highly thought of in their community. It is important to us that they, and all of our clients, have a positive claims experience. I’m happy that we were able to help them, and many other families, through tough times.”