Whatcott v. Continental Casualty Co.

7 Citing cases

  1. Kellog v. California Western States Life Ins. Co.

    114 Utah 567 (Utah 1949)   Cited 10 times
    Discussing Handley

    fn1Richards v. Standard Accident Ins. Co., 58 Utah 622, 200 P. 1017; Henderson v. Industrial Commission, 80 Utah 316, 15 P.2d 302; Whatcott v. Continental Casualty Co., 85 Utah 406, 39 P.2d 733; Andreason v. Industrial Commission, 98 Utah 551, 100 P.2d 202; Handley v. Mutual Life Ins. Co., 106 Utah 184, 147 P.2d 319; Tucker v. New York Life Ins. Co., 107 Utah 478, 155 P.2d 173. See 45 C.J.S., Insurance, sec. 938; 29 Am. Jur. 706. Compliance with requirements of insurance policy as to proof of death by accident, note, 170 A.L.R. 1263.

  2. Handley v. Mutual Life Ins. Co. of New York

    106 Utah 184 (Utah 1944)   Cited 21 times

    Richards v. Standard Accident Ins. Co., 58 Utah 622, 200 P. 1017, 17 A.L.R. 1183; Carter v. Standard Accident Ins. Co., 65 Utah 465, 238 P. 259, 41 A.L.R. 1495; Billings v. Continental Life Ins. Co., 81 Utah 572, 21 P.2d 103.Whatcott v. Continental Casualty Co., 85 Utah 406, 39 P.2d 733. See 17 C.J.S. Contracts, sec. 324; 29 Am. Jur. 707.

  3. Hoffman v. Life Ins. Co. of North America

    669 P.2d 410 (Utah 1983)   Cited 34 times
    Finding that where insured's conduct and use of weapon threatens death or serious bodily injury to another, insured should expect or anticipate that threatened individual will very likely respond with deadly force, and under those circumstances insured's death is not accidental

    The standard stated in Richards has been applied consistently by this Court. See Thompson v. American Casualty Co., 20 Utah 2d 418, 439 P.2d 276 (1968); Kellogg v. California Western States Life Insurance Co., 114 Utah 567, 201 P.2d 949 (1949); Handley v. Mutual Life Insurance Co., 106 Utah 184, 192, 147 P.2d 319, 322 (1944); Sanders v. Metropolitan Life Insurance Co., 104 Utah 75, 83, 138 P.2d 239, 242-43 (1943); Whatcott v. Continental Casualty Co., 85 Utah 406, 39 P.2d 733 (1935); Billings v. Continental Life Insurance Co., 81 Utah 572, 577-78, 21 P.2d 103, 105 (1933). These cases, however, are somewhat confusing in their use of terms such as "unforeseen," e.g., Handley, supra, 106 Utah at 190, 147 P.2d at 322, and "[not] reasonably anticipated," e.g., Richards, supra, 58 Utah at 636, 200 P. at 1023, in describing what constitutes an accident.

  4. INA LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY v. BRUNDIN

    533 P.2d 236 (Alaska 1975)   Cited 50 times
    Concluding that an insured's expectations were at least partially generated by printed advertising flyers describing coverage

    67 N.E.2d at 251-52. Events similar to the instant case occurred in Whatcott v. Continental Casualty Co., 85 Utah 406, 39 P.2d 733 (1935), where a patient suffered a cardiac arrest and died during a routine appendectomy. The operation had been performed in the normal manner, without mishap.

  5. Thompson v. American Casualty Company

    439 P.2d 276 (Utah 1968)   Cited 5 times
    In Thompson v. American Casualty Co., 20 Utah 2d 418, 439 P.2d 276, 277-78 (1968), the Utah Supreme Court interpreted the phrase "accidental means" in a disability policy to include disability that was unexpected even though the activity leading to the disability was intentional.

    The import of our previous pronouncements respecting phrases of this type is to the effect that when an injury which unexpectedly results from an act or occurrence which was not reasonably foreseeable, the insurer is liable under the policy. Richards v. Standard Accident Ins. Co., 58 Utah 622, 200 P. 1017, 17 A.L.R. 1183 (1921); Billings v. Continental Life Ins. Co., 81 Utah 572, 21 P.2d 103 (1933); Whatcott v. Continental Casualty Co., 85 Utah 406, 39 P.2d 733 (1935); Handley v. Mutual Life Ins. Co. of New York, 106 Utah 184, 147 P.2d 319, 152 A.L.R. 1278 (1944). In the Whatcott case, the court stated: an insurance policy containing a provision insuring against injury or death caused by accidental means entitles the insured * * * to recover for the unusual or unexpected results of an intentional act, even though such results occur without mischance, slip, or mishap: * * *

  6. Wolfe v. Commercial Travelers

    70 S.D. 452 (S.D. 1945)   Cited 5 times

    The rule in such cases, established by the decisions of courts in many jurisdictions, is that, if the natural and probable effect of the drug as administered, is to induce an anesthesia without injury to the patient, and if the patient dies as a result, because of an unforeseen and unexpected idiosyncrasy, or an unusual susceptibility to the drug, then the administration of the drug was the cause of the death and the death was produced by accidental means. Mutual Life Ins. Co. v. Dodge, 4 Cir., 11 F.2d 486, 59 A.L.R. 1290; Taylor v. New York Life Ins. Co., 176 Minn. 171, 222 N.W. 912, 60 A.L.R. 959; Wheeler v. Title Guaranty of America, 265 Mich. 296, 251 N.W. 408; Whatcott v. Continental Casualty Co., 85 Utah 406, 39 P.2d 733; Denton v. Travelers Ins. Co., D.C., 25 F. Supp. 556; Vollrath v. Central. Life Ins. Co. of Illinois, 243 Ill. App. 181; Schleicher v. General Accident, Fire Life Assur. Corporation, 240 Ill. App. 247.

  7. Zinn v. Equitable Life Insurance

    107 P.2d 921 (Wash. 1940)   Cited 34 times
    In Zinn v. Equitable Life Ins. Co. of Iowa, 6 Wn.2d 379, 107 P.2d 921, it was held that death was by "external, violent, and accidental means" within the meaning of the policy where the insured died from blood poisoning following the lancing of his arm by a physician in order to relieve an existing high blood pressure condition.

    is not accidental where the means are intentional, but the results are unusual or unexpected: Mitchell v. New York Life Ins. Co., 136 Ohio St. 551, 27 N.E.2d 243; Caldwell v. Travelers' Ins. Co., 305 Mo. 619, 267 S.W. 907, 39 A.L.R. 56; Kimball v. Massachusetts Acc. Co., 44 R.I. 264, 117 A. 228, 24 A.L.R. 726; Smith v. Travelers Ins. Co., 219 Mass. 147, 106 N.E. 607, L.R.A. 1915B, 872; Lehman v. Great Western Acc. Ass'n, 155 Iowa 737, 133 N.W. 752, 42 L.R.A. (N.S.) 562; Northam v. Metropolitan Life Ins. Co., 231 Ala. 105, 163 So. 635, 111 A.L.R. 622; Curry v. Federal Life Ins. Co., 221 Mo. App. 626, 287 S.W. 1053; Pope v. Business Men's Assurance Co., 131 S.W.2d (Mo.App.) 887. Other cases, such as Gohlke v. Hawkeye Commercial Men's Ass'n, 198 Iowa 144, 197 N.W. 1004, 35 A.L.R. 1177; Hruzek v. Old Line Life Ins. Co., 221 Wis. 279, 265 N.W. 566; O'Connell v. New York Life Ins. Co., 220 Wis. 61, 264 N.W. 253; Taylor v. New York Life Ins. Co., 176 Minn. 171, 222 N.W. 912, 60 A.L.R. 959; Whatcott v. Continental Casualty Co., 85 Utah 406, 39 P.2d 733; Carter v. Standard Acc. Ins. Co., 65 Utah 465, 238 P. 259, 41 A.L.R. 1495; Equitable Life Assurance Society v. Hemenover, 100 Colo. 231, 67 P.2d 80, 110 A.L.R. 1270; Horton v. Travelers' Ins. Co., 45 Cal.App. 462, 187 P. 1070; Maryland Casualty Co.v. Hazen, 182 Okla. 623, 79 P.2d 577; Spence v. Equitable Life Assurance Society, 146 Kan. 216, 69 P.2d 713; Goethe v. New York Life Ins. Co., 183 S.C. 199, 190 S.E. 451; King v. Commercial Casualty Ins. Co., 197 N.C. 566, 150 S.E. 19; Newsoms v. Commercial Casualty Ins. Co., 147 Va. 471, 137 S.E. 456, 52 A.L.R. 363; Ocean Acc. Guarantee Corp. v. Glover, 165 Va. 283, 182 S.E. 221; Brown v. Continental Casualty Co., 161 La. 229, 108 So. 464, 45 A.L.R. 1521; Garrett v. International Travelers' Ass'n, 14 S.W.2d (Tex.Civ.App.) 944; International Travelers' Ass'n v. Francis, 119 Tex. 1, 23 S.W.2d 282; and Washington Fidelity Nat. Ins. Co. v. Anderson, 187 Ark. 971, 63 S.W.2d 535, uphold the idea that death is accidental, even though the means a