Does Life Insurance Pay for Death by Drunk Driving?
You buy life insurance to keep your loved ones financially secure after your death. The death benefit helps them to cover several types of expenses in your absence ranging from your funeral costs to daily living costs and other specific expenses such as your child’s college fees or settlement of a loan. However, there are several instances when your insurance provider may deny the payout to your beneficiaries. One of the most common reasons is the death of the policyholder due to drunk driving.
This blog discusses the reasons why an insurer may refuse to pay the death benefit if someone dies in an accident while drunk driving, the options available for the beneficiary who has been denied the payout, and also what you can do to prevent a situation where you may have to drive while you are intoxicated.
Reasons Why Insurance Companies Won’t Pay for Policyholders Killed While Drunk Driving
For self-inflicted deaths, insurance providers typically deny the death benefit to the beneficiaries. Since they consider death caused by drunk driving a case of self-inflicted death, in most cases, they refuse to pay.
While whether drunk driving deaths should be regarded as self-inflicted is hotly debated, insurance providers firmly believe that when an individual gets behind the wheel to drive, even when they know that they are drunk, they are fully aware of the consequences. Alcohol is known to adversely affect one’s abilities, especially when you are driving, and often results in accidents that, besides causing grievous injuries to others, more often than not cause the drunk driver’s death. So, death by drunk driving cannot be considered an accident as it’s neither unexpected nor unanticipated.
Another reason offered by insurance providers for refusing to pay the death benefit to beneficiaries if the policyholder dies due to drunk driving is to prevent insurance fraud. According to them, it may encourage more and more people to drink and drive to intentionally kill themselves so that their loved ones may get the benefits of the payout.
Options Available to Beneficiary if Denied the Death Benefit of Loved One
If, as the beneficiary, you are denied benefit as the policyholder’s insurance provider deems it as a case of drunk driving, you can contest their decision if you think that the incident requires a thorough investigation. Hiring an attorney may help you get the compensation that is due to you as they have the expertise to prove that the accident may have been caused due to other factors if that’s the case.
Also, on several occasions, blood sample test results are not reliable, so they can get it re-evaluated if there’s any anomaly and help you win the case.
Important Tips to Avoid Drunk Driving
You should always avoid drunk driving. You can do so by:
- Avoid alcohol if you need to drive
- Ask a friend who’s not drinking to drop you
- Hire a rideshare service or a cab, or use the underground
- Walk if your home is nearby
Never drink and drive. Look for other transportation options to protect yourself and others.
Cover Yourself While on Road with Remland Insurance
Driving while drunk can be life-threatening. However, with adequate life insurance, you can cover your medical bills with the right life insurance policy. At Remland Insurance, we will help you get the right coverage based on your specific needs and budget. Contact us today to get started!
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