Accidental Death & Dismemberment Claims
Accidental death policies are designed to provide financial support to beneficiaries when the insured dies due to accidental means. AD&D insurance may be purchased as a separate contract or it may be an option in a regular life insurance policy.
We’ve seen many cases where the insurance company pays out the basic life insurance claims but denies the AD&D claim. This is because the AD&D contracts have their own set of exclusions that, if applicable, can result in denials of benefits.
It is very common for people to buy accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) coverage along with regular life insurance. AD&D coverage is available as a separate policy or as a rider to a life insurance policy. As a separate contract, an accidental death policy pays a benefit in the event that the insured dies in an accident or due to accidental means or loses one or more limbs, hearing or vision.
Accidental death and dismemberment payouts
A rider to a life insurance policy is a separate section of a life insurance contract. An AD&D rider often pays a much higher amount than the value of the basic life insurance payout. It is common for such a rider to also provide benefits for dismemberment, when the insured is alive but loses a limb, vision or hearing.
Insurance company contracts are often worded in such a way as to allow multiple interpretations. Insurers routinely deny seemingly valid AD&D claim is because every policy or rider has multiple exclusions. For example, it’s common for an AD&D claim to be denied if the insured died in an accident, but was intoxicated over the state legal limit.
At the DiGeorge Law Firm, we conduct a thorough investigation of the facts surrounding the claim – the policy, medical records, toxicology reports, medical examiner’s reports, coroner’s reports, death certificate, etc. – to determine the true cause of the death and whether the policy terms have been properly interpreted by the insurance company. We also conduct extensive legal research to determine how similar cases were resolved in state and federal courts.