‘Death due to heart attack in mishap covered under insurance’

A person who dies of cardiac arrest following a mishap is entitled to accidental insurance claim, the Delhi Consumer Commission has held.

A person who dies of cardiac arrest following a mishap is entitled to accidental insurance claim, the Delhi Consumer Commission has held.

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“If any person meets with an accident including vehicular accident and if death occurs due to myocardial infarction consequent to coronary artery disease, he is entitled for the accident claim benefit,” Justice JD Kapoor said.

The Commission dismissed the plea of Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India that the insured was not entitled to the double of the sum assured as he died of cardiac ailment, which was not part of accident insurance coverage.

Rejecting the LIC’s appeal, the panel said merely because insured Jagdish Lal was a heart patient, it cannot be held that he did not die due to accident.

The Commission did not find any substance in the plea that the dependents of the insured could not be compensated as accident was caused due to his negligence as per the FIR.

“Merely because an FIR was lodged with the police, it does not mean the accident did not take place or that he has been held guilty for having driven the car rashly,” it said, adding, ‘accident is an accident.”