Hayes v. National Life & Accident Insurance
Hayes v. National Life & Accident Insurance
Opinion of the Court
1. Where, upon the trial of a case, brought in two counts on two policies of insurance by the widow-beneficiary of the insured in the policies to recover certain death benefits for which provision is made in the policies, it appears that in one policy it is provided: “Upon receipt of due proof that during the continuance of this policy in force, the insured has sustained bodily injuries effected solely through violent, external, and accidental means, and that such bodily injuries have directly and independently of all other causes, caused the death of the insured within ninety days from the time such injuries were so sustained, the company will pay to the beneficiary named in the schedule the principal sum less any amount paid or payable on account of the same injuries under the provision for indemnity for specific losses; provided, however, that no indemnity shall be payable if death results (i) from self-destruction, while sane or insane . . . (iii) from injuries intentionally inflicted upon the insured by himself, or by any other person other than burglars or robbers, (iv) from participation in an assault or felony . . .”; and, it appears that in the other policy it is provided: “Upon receipt of due proof that the death of the insured resulted directly, and independently of all other causes, from bodily injuries effected solely through external, violent and accidental means, the company will pay an additional benefit equal to the amount of insurance, provided (A) that such death occurs (i) prior to the insured’s seventieth birthday, (ii) during the continuance of this policy in force otherwise than as extended insurance or the reduced paid-up life insurance hereinafter provided, and (iii) within ninety days from the date on which the injuries were sustained; and (B) that no such benefit shall be payable if death results (i) from self-destruction, while sane or insane. . . (iv) from participation in an assault or felony. . .”; and it appears that the jury would be authorized to find that the insured sustained injuries in a shooting affray on November 10, 1952, from which he died on that day, while the two policies were in full force and effect, and that the insured’s death, of which the insurance company had due proof within the meaning of the policies, was effected “independently of all other causes, solely through violent, external, and accidental means,” it is error requiring the grant of a new trial for the trial court to direct a verdict for the defendant insurance company under such a slate of the evidence. There were questions of fact which should have been left for the determination of the jury. Taylor v. Chattooga County, 180 Ga. 90 (178 S. E. 298); McNabb v. Hardeman, 77 Ga. App. 451 (49 S. E. 2d 194); Newsome v. Travelers Ins. Co., 143 Ga. 785 (85 S. E. 1035); Pan-American Life Ins. Co. v. Bagley, 55 Ga. App. 610 (191 S. E. 144); Riggins v. Equitable Life Assurance Soc., 64 Ga. App. 834 (14 S. E. 2d 182); Gresham v. Equitable Life & Accident Ins. Co., 87 Ga. 497 (13 S. E. 752, 13 L. R. A. 838, 27 Am. St. R. 263). It appears that the shooting affray began in a restaurant operated by the insured and his partner, when the partner evicted a would-be customer from the restaurant for drunkenness. The drunken customer immediately began firing into the restaurant and one of the
There having originally been a dissent in this case by one of the judges of the second division to which the case was assigned, the case was considered and determined by the court as a whole under the provisions of the act of 1945 (Ga. L. 1945, p. 232; Code, Ann. Supp., § 24-3501).
Judgment reversed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.