Federal Life Ins. Co. v. McAleer

1932 OK 852, 17 P.2d 681, 161 Okla. 251, 1932 Okla. LEXIS 507
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedDecember 20, 1932
Docket21360
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 1932 OK 852 (Federal Life Ins. Co. v. McAleer) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Federal Life Ins. Co. v. McAleer, 1932 OK 852, 17 P.2d 681, 161 Okla. 251, 1932 Okla. LEXIS 507 (Okla. 1932).

Opinions

KORNEGAY, J.

This proceeding in error comesi from the district court of Garfield county. The petition was filed April 5, 1929', and sought recovery on an accident policy covering injuries, and disabilities, and death from causes enumerated. The case took ¡the course of motion to make more definite, demurrer to petition, and general denial unverified of petition, trial by jury, demurrer to evidence, both sides asking for a directed verdict, plaintiff being successful below, defendant complaining here.

Tbe brief of plaintiff in error sets out considerable of the evidence, and argues tbe matter under tbe bead of six propositions. The first complaint concerns the overruling of the motion to make more definite and certain, the second concerns the overruling- of the demurrer to tbe petition, the third to admitting evidence to be submitted on behalf of plaintiff, tbe fourth to the overruling of the demurrer to the evidence, the fifth complaining of the direction of the verdict, and tibe sixth to the overruling of the motion for new trial. Under the fourth proposition, the plaintiff in error states:

“But perhaps the hub of tbe whole situation is whether or not the alleged injuries occurred in the manner specified in the policy.
“Part 1 of the policy (see ease-made, p 17) which admittedly is the only provision under which the plaintiff could possibly claim, reads as follows:
<“* * * or by the wrecking or disablement of any private horse-drawn vehicle, or motor-driven car (excluding motor cycles or trucks) in which the insured is riding or driving, or by being accidentally thrown from such vehicle or car’.”

The facts as disclosed by the evidence were that plaintiff in an automobile was traveling, and while on his journey found it necessary to have the car greased, and while plaintiff remained seated, the car was driven onto a grease rack for the purpose of having it greased, plaintiff expecting to remain in the car while the operation was going on. Seeing some person across the street, he started to get out of the car to see the party. About the time the plaintiff was stepping out of the car, the motion of the ear caused by the rack mechanism, caused plaintiff to lose *252 his hold on thei door jamb, which he held to while endeavoring to alight for the purpose of steadying himself, and in his endeavor to alight, he fell and broke his hip. After quoting some of the testimony, plaintiff in error’s brief is as follows:

“Defendant’s Exhibit No. 1 (O-M, 43).
“ ‘No. 8. State fully and precisely what you were doing at the time the accident occurred?
“ ‘A. Slipping out of auto on platform.
“ ‘No. 10. How did the accident happen?
“ ‘A. Hand hold slipped and fell on concrete pavement.
“ ‘No. 16. To what extent was the conveyance in or on which you were riding wrecked or disabled?
“ ‘A. Not wrecked at all. Accident occurred in getting out of auto. Hold slipped and fell to pavement.’
“Defendant’s Exhibit No. 5 (C-M., 49).
“ ‘No. 18. Were you thrown from the car?
“ ‘A. Hold slipped.’
“Representing a letter by ithe claimant to the Federal Life Insurance Company is as follows (in part) :
“ ‘The theme of your song seems to be that the car in which I gob hurt was not in motion. If yoju can show me that even implied where your policy says or states that the vehicle must be in action, I will withdraw my claim.’
“The testimony just quoted brings out several propositions; Among other things, it indicates that the plaintiff has apparently changed his theory. First, he insists that he could recover even though the car was not in motion. Second, he was not in the car at the time of the alleged injuries. Third, he was not riding or driving the car at the time of the alleged injuries. Fourth, he was not accidentally thrown from such vehicle or car.
“It is our contention that the plaintiff must show all of these factors occurred as conditions precedent to recovery under the policy.
“When the insured drove the car upon the greasing rack for the purpose of having! it overhauled, he abandoned for the moment ithe act of riding in or driving the ear. The weight of authority, however, is to the effect that a traveler who abandons his vehicle or means of conveyance during* the journej' cannot be said to be either in or on the vehicle or engaged in the act of making his journey. See 14 R. C. L. section 420, p. 1241.
“The act of riding in or driving implies motion. These are words and phrases well imderstood and have a clear and well defined meaning when xxsed in a contract of insxxrance.
“The word ‘driving’ isi defined by Webster’s New International Dictionary as follows ;
“ ‘To impel or xxrgo onward in a direction away from, or along before, the im-peiling force or agency; variously; to cause to move on; to ui’ge onward; as with plows; (?blows) as, to drive cows to pasture; to communicaite a forward motion to, as by pressure; to push forward, as to drive a nail; to give a forward impetus to; to propel; impel; to carry along or keep in motion, to go by, or pass in, a carriage whose cqurse is wholly or partly xxnder one’s direction; to proceed by direction or urging on a vehicle or the animals that draw it.’
“And the same authority described ‘ride’ as follows:
“ ’To be supported in motion, to be borne along; to sit on and control so as to be carried; hence, t o be carried along by; to make, perform, or do, by riding; the act or fact of riding: an. excursion or journey on tile back of an animal or in or oix any vehicle or conveyance.’ ”

Argument is made that the risk assumed only covered the time when the automobile was in motion, and the case of Primrose v. Casualty Co. (Pa.) 37 L. R. A. (N. S.) 618, is cited, and the case of Georgia Life Ins. Co. v. Easter (Ala.) L. R. A. 1915C, 456. Each ease depends on its peculiar facts. The latter case held that a picnic xvagon for white people was not a common carrier. The former ease held that within the meaning of the accident policy, a double indemnity would accrue in a case of a taxicab injury, under a “public conveyance” injury provision entitling insured to double indemnity. The case itself and the annotations appear to be antagonistic in reason to the position of plaintiff in error. The court there lays down the governing principle, as follows:

“The contention of the learned counsel for the appellant is that the double indemnity clause is applicable only to the case of a person occupying a place for which, he pays a «fare in a railway car or conveyance operated for the common xxse of himself and of such promiscuous persons as may happen to take passage en route, over which conveyance he exercises no control.

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Bluebook (online)
1932 OK 852, 17 P.2d 681, 161 Okla. 251, 1932 Okla. LEXIS 507, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/federal-life-ins-co-v-mcaleer-okla-1932.