After an FBI agent invited a fellow coworker for a quick ride in a Ferrari F50 the car spun out and landed against a tree and some bushes, according to the Insurance Journal. However, the U.S. Justice Department is refusing to reimburse a Michigan car insurance company for the irreparable damage to the racecar.
The vehicle was stolen from a dealer in Rosemount, Pennsylvania, in 2003 and the Motors Insurance company paid that dealer $750,000, the Associated Press reports. The car was built in 1995 to commemorate Ferrari’s 50th anniversary and only 349 were made. A similar car was recently put up for auction for $788,888 according to Topspeed.com.
What happened?
The Ferrari was kept in Kentucky as part of an ongoing criminal investigation, until it was to be moved from a garage in 2009. Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Hamilton Thompson said that was when he was invited to take a ride by FBI agent Fred Kingston, the media outlet reports.
“Just a few seconds after we left the parking lot, we went around a curve and the rear of the car began sliding,” Thompson said in an email released to Motors Insurance Company, quoted by the Insurance Journal. “The agent tried to regain control but the car fishtailed and slid sideways up onto the curb. The vehicle came to rest against a row of bushes and a small tree.”
Federal Government agents allowed immunity
In a dispute with the insurance company, the Justice Department is asserting that it is immune to tort claims when certain goods are in its possession. It is also refusing to release crash-related documents. The insurance company has filed a lawsuit to get the accident records released under the federal Freedom of Information Act.
The Federal Tort Claims Act allows for certain types of lawsuits to be filed against federal government employees who perform something in their scope of employment. However, there are many limitations to claims regarding the US government and insurance. When suing an individual under the FTCA they must work directly for the government, not as an independent contractor. Typically claims of negligence are allowed, but not intentional misconduct, but there are exceptions to this rule.
The Ferrari is one of only 50 in the U.S. and handles more like that of a race car than a normal sports car, possibly explaining why Kingston crashed almost instantly. The case is currently tied up in court.