Downey Insurance Group Blog | Great Insurance People

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I met a new friend this year her name is Beatrice Serewicz -Homes.  We met at an infant swim class with our daughters, later to find out that we lived a mile from each other.  We have become close over the last year and when she told me her brother was killed in a horrific drunk driving acident on July 17^th 2010 I remembered watching the story on the news and feeling for the family even though I had no idea his sister lived so close to us.

The other driver was drunk and traveling in the wrong direction on I-90 in Worcester, MA.  This drunk driver struck Thomas Serewicz vehicle, head on, killing Tommy and his friend that was a passenger in the vehicle.  Thomas was 24, he was married with 2 small boys.  Tom’s two sisters, his wife and children, his Mother, and his friends were devastated.  My friend Bea was 9 month pregnant at the time and gave birth to her daughter 2 weeks later.

Here is an excerpt from a note written by Tom’s Mother Lynn Serewicz:

Altering your mind, is altering your mind. Drugs, alcohol, sleep deprivation…. kills! And for some who say I’ll take my chances it’s my life… NO IT ISN’T!! not when innocent people die! and little boys are left without their daddy!!!  Have you ever heard or said yourself, I don’t even remember how I got home last night.. I’ve heard people say things like “there’s a dent in my car, I don’t know what happened”, or, I banged up my knee and I don’t know how I did it..” all this after a night of drinking… ever wonder how many accidents they may have caused without ever knowing it? Maybe in the paper that next day was a story of a car that went off the road…. and people killed… maybe the one who doesn’t
know how they got home, drove that car off the road!! how would they ever know???? Or a victim of a hit and run.. could THAT be how your car got dented???

This mom sureis MADD, but most of all, wants others to know Tom was here, he was/is important to this world. but is gone now because someone decided this was how she wanted to live her life. Imagine how her family must feel? the devastation from this one act is endless.

PLEASE, think before you drink/drug. (she was highly intoxicated and drugged).

Thank you all for reading. I’m so sorry it’s sad. I’m so sorry we live in a world where this kind of thing can happen.

God Bless us all!

Lynne

Last week the family held a 1 Year memorial for Tommy at the Stone Church in West Boylston, MA.   They chose the location because it was Tom’s favorite fishing place. They had prayer, memories, released red balloons (for MADD) with red ribbons tied to them with messages from the hearts of family and friends written on them.  They sang by the water’s edge, Amazing Grace.  Tom’s Mother Lynn and family were deeply touched by the presence of many friends and love ones and their gift of love and remembrance of Tommy.   Later, they shared food, laughter, tears, and stories of Tom, his antics, his love.

I am telling this from a third person perspective because that is all I can do, I have a hard time imagining what it would be like to lose a loved one to such a tragic accident that is 100% preventable.  Tom also did not have a Life Insurance policy.   While Life Insurance cannot begin to make up for the loss of a love one, it can make the lives of those left behind a little more manageable.    At Downey Insurance we support making your car a “No Phone Zone” to prevent Texting While Driving  this may not be as much of a no-brainer as not driving drunk but it is just as important.  So PLEASE do not drive drunk, and PLEASE don’t allow someone else to drive drunk whose judgment may be impaired.  Your car will not feel abandoned if you leave it behind but I guarantee your family will if you drive drunk.

Cate Downey Potenza

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The Tornado’s that ravaged parts of Western Massachusetts have caused more damage than was previously expected by officials.  Massachusetts Insurance Claims for insured losses just keep rolling in. Although FEMA has just begun their efforts in MA they are already seeing equally astounding numbers.   You can see my previous post on applying for FEMA relief in MA.

 Viviane Lee from Boston.com said on Saturday – “Insurance claims filed by victims of this month’s tornadoes have risen to $140 million, according to state officials, dwarfing previous estimates and reflecting the devastation after the storms tore through Western Massachusetts June 1.

Victims have come forward with 8,200 claims, Joseph Murphy, commissioner of the Division of Insurance, said Thursday. The damage estimates are expected to swell as nine Federal Emergency Management Agency-operated recovery centers open in the next few days to help residents apply for federal aid.

Initial reports from June 7, more than a week after tornadoes ravaged 19 communities and left three people dead, estimated claims at $90 million just for destruction to homes. Thursday’s figure includes $5 million in commercial property claims and $15 million in auto insurance filings on top of an additional $30 million for residential damage.”

The numbers here are staggering, and the personal stories of the people that have been affected are had to imagine for most of us.  Many organizations have jumped into action to fill the needs of these people, and the local outreach to the affected communities has been tremendous. 

The Patriots Foundation for example is partnering with The Untied Wayto match contributions up to $100,000 for disaster relief!  100% of the funds donated during this drive will be used toward disaster relief efforts in MA.  There is also a Facebook page Western Mass Tornado Relief that is posting news and updates related to the disaster. 

One local Massachusetts mother Tara Barranco has been inspired to start an organization called Munchkin Love to help families with small children after the disaster.  They are collecting items such as diapers, wipes, formula, baby food, and infant medicine for donation.  They are currently distributing the items from their distribution center in Southbridge, MA.  You can find out more information about donating to Munchkin Love on their Facebook Page MunchkinLove.

If you know of any other worthy charitable organizations that are worth mentioning please feel free to post their name and website in the comments area below.

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During a recent trip to San Diego, CA Charlie Downey President and CEO of Downey Insurance of Marlborough, MA, Keene, NH and Brattleboro, VT sat down with Adam DeGraide from Astonish Results to discuss what it takes to build a world class sales structure.   The purpose of this trip was to gather the thought leaders of the insurance industry for candid discussions regarding thier current sales strategy.   They found that most of the insurance professionals were on similar paths.  Building a world class sales structre was on the top of the list every time.   This video was featured on the Insurance Journal TV E-Marketing Minute.

Charlie Downey says “This is how you grow your business, every call is an opportunity to help our clients.  Every client wants to feel like they are taken care of, sometimes it is as simple as asking for their business.”  This mindset is part of the reason Downey Insurance is doing so well.  In fact they are growing, 6 years ago they expanded from their Marlborough, MA office by adding two new locations in Brattleboro, Vt and Keene, NH.   

 In addition to a focus on sales culture this meeting of the minds in San Diego, CA focused on the importance of being on the crest of the digital marketing and social media marketing wave. Downey Insurance fits this description as well. They are doing everything they can to make sure they are visible and responsive on the web.

Charlie Downey feels humbled an honored to be feachured in Insurance Journal’s E-Marketing Munite.  He says “It just confirms that we are on the right track, and that our strategy is not only working for us but we can be the bench-mark for other agencies.”

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We now have a new blog on our website that we will be posting on in addition to GreatInsurancePeople.com.   Here is the link: http://www.downeyinsurance.com/contact-us/our-blog/

Yesterday I posted a blog about Massachusetts Auto Insurance Coverages.  It is amazing how many coverages the Massachusetts Auto Policy has, and they can sometimes be hard to understand.  This blog gives a brief overview of each coverage.  Our Agents are experts in Massachusetts Auto Insurance  and can help you choose which coverages are right for you.   We would love to here from you, please call 508-485-0130 or visit our website www.downeyinsurance.com.

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As we watch the tragic news footage it is hard to imagine what the Japanese people are going through.  At Downey Insurance we are feeling such sadness, and our hearts go out to all to the people who are injured, grieving and displaced in Japan.   Also to our friends and client The Boston Japanese Christian Church in Somerville, MA who may have lost friends and family in the disaster.  With the new threat of Nuclear Meltdown imminent, Japan is going to need our help now and most likely for years to come. After the U. S. experienced the most expensive hurricane “Hurricane Katrina” the Japanese people opened their hearts and wallets to help the United States when we were in need.

From a Washington Press Release in 2005-”Washington — If the saying “a friend in need is a friend indeed” is true, Japan is one of the best friends the United States ever could have to provide support while so many Americans are suffering in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Japanese private citizens and the government alike have sent a virtual tsunami of assistance to the victims of Katrina, which devastated 90,000 square miles along the U.S. Gulf Coast in August. Hundreds of thousands of people lost their homes and hundreds lost their lives.

Japan has pledged more than $1.5 million in private donations. The government of Japan has donated $200,000 in cash to the American Red Cross and some $800,000 in relief supplies — from blankets to generators — already are arriving to aid the most needy. Japanese firms with operations in the United States have donated some $12 million in total, including Honda Motor Corporation ($5 million), Hitachi ($1 million) and Nissan (more than $750,000).”

I think it is unclear at this time how high the cost of rebuilding Japan will be.   At the moment it is on track to be the largest earthquake loss on record.

From NPR.org – “It’s hard to fathom the extent of the earthquake and tsunami damage in Japan, and losses continue to mount. While most of the property damage won’t be covered by insurance because many people and companies didn’t have earthquake coverage, the insurance industry’s exposure is still huge.

Claims stemming from the earthquake in northern Japan and its aftermath are likely to make this one of the costliest natural disasters ever for the insurance industry.

One widely used estimate puts the insured losses at $15 billion to $35 billion — and that doesn’t include losses stemming from the crippled reactors at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant.

“Thirty-five billion would make this earthquake by far the most expensive in global history,” says Robert Hartwig, president of the Insurance Information Institute.

Historic Payouts

The current insurance payout record for an earthquake was set in the 1994 Northridge earthquake in California, which produced $22.5 billion in insured losses in 2010 dollars, he says. Hurricane Katrina was the costliest disaster, with total insurance payouts of $41.1 billion, the institute says.

Most of the insurance losses stemming from last week’s earthquake will be paid by Japanese companies.

At least 10,000 people are confirmed dead or missing, so there will also be life insurance payouts”

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Wow!!! Last week Pamela G. called for a quote, the same day she came in to sign with us and we saved her close to $500!! *And that was just on one policy* She couldn’t believe it; she told me she had her Auto Insurance with Progressive & that their prices were good when she 1st wrote with them, but 2 terms later.. they sky rocked!! Now that speaks loudly… don’t you think?! Give us a call… what do you have to lose besides $$$ if you don’t call us!! Can you afford not to?  Visit our website www.downeyinsurance.com or Call Downey Insurance at 508-485-0130.

-Elis Colon is a customer service representative in our Marlborough,MA office.  We also have offices in Keene, NH and Brattleboro, VT.

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