Hidalgo v. Allstate Insurance

374 So. 2d 1261, 1979 La. App. LEXIS 2962
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedAugust 23, 1979
DocketNo. 7098
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 374 So. 2d 1261 (Hidalgo v. Allstate Insurance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hidalgo v. Allstate Insurance, 374 So. 2d 1261, 1979 La. App. LEXIS 2962 (La. Ct. App. 1979).

Opinions

FORET, Judge.

This is a suit for damages filed by John Hidalgo, individually and on behalf of his minor daughter, Jerilyn, who was injured when struck by a go-cart1 operated on a public street, by Troy Arnaud, minor son of defendant, Francis Arnaud. Also made defendants were (1) Allstate Insurance Company, Francis Arnaud’s homeowners insurer; and (2) Hanover Insurance Company, the automobile liability and uninsured motorist carrier on three motor vehicles owned by John Hidalgo.

Allstate Insurance Company and Hanover Insurance Company each moved for summary judgment contending that their respective policies excluded coverage for the type of vehicle involved herein, to-wit, the go-cart. The trial court granted the mo[1263]*1263tions for summary judgment, dismissing plaintiff’s suit with prejudice, as to the two insurers.

HANOVER COVERAGE

Hanover Insurance Company’s automobile policy issued to John Hidalgo included a “Part IV-Protection Against Uninsured Motorists”. In that section of the policy “uninsured automobile” was defined as:

“ ‘uninsured automobile’ includes a trailer of any type and means:
(a) An automobile or trailer with respect to the ownership, maintenance or use of which there is, in at least the amounts specified by the financial responsibility law of the state in which the insured automobile is principally garaged, no bodily injury liability bond or insurance policy applicable at the time of the accident with respect to any person or organization legálly responsible for the use of such automobile, or with respect to which there is a bodily injury liability bond or insurance policy applicable at the time of the accident but the company writing the same denies coverage thereunder or
(b) a hit-and-run automobile;
but the term ‘uninsured automobile’ shall not include:
(1) an insured automobile or an automobile furnished for the regular use of the named insured or a relative,
(2) an automobile or trailer owned or operated by a self-insurer within the meaning of any motor vehicle financial responsibility law, motor carrier law or any similar law,
(3) an automobile or trailer owned by the United States of America, Canada, a state, a political subdivision of any such government or an agency of any of the foregoing,
(4) a land motor vehicle or trailer if operated on rails or crawler-treads or while located for use as a residence or premises and not as a vehicle, or
(5) a farm type tractor or equipment designed for use principally off public roads, except while actually upon public roads.”

Hanover argues that this go-cart is not included here as it is not an “automobile”.

The recent decision of the Louisiana Supreme Court in Carney v. American Fire & Indemnity Company, 371 So.2d 815 (La.1979), concerns a similar situation.

In the Carney case, the decedent was killed while driving a Formula Ford racing vehicle in competition at Texas World Speedway in Bryan, Texas. The Formula Ford vehicle was an untitled, unlicensed, single seater, four wheel motor vehicle; it was not intended or suited for use on public highway; it was purely a racing machine.

His widow brought an action against his automobile liability insurer on a policy which provided benefits for accidental death if such resulted from injuries sustained in or by an automobile (as defined by the policy). That policy defined “automobile” as:

“With respect to this insurance the word ‘automobile’ means a land motor vehicle, trailer, or semitrailer not operated on rails or crawler-treads, but does not mean: (1) a farm type tractor or other equipment designed for use principally off public roads, except while actually upon public roads, or (2) a land motor vehicle or trailer while located for use as a residence or premises and not as a vehicle.”

The trial court and this Court2 both found that the Formula Ford machine was not an “automobile” within the meaning of the insurance policy: that it was “equipment” designed for use off public roads.

The Louisiana Supreme Court reversed, holding that the language used in the policy above quoted was ambiguous and construed it against the insurer: that the terms “other equipment” could not logically, in context, be said to unambiguously exclude this racing machine.

The Court thus followed the well established rule of construing ambiguous insur-[1264]*1264anee contracts against the insurer and in favor of the insured.

In the present case the word “automobile” as in the above set forth uninsured motorist coverage of the Hanover policy is not defined there or elsewhere in the policy. The uninsured motorist provision does exclude, as did the policy in Carney, “a farm-type tractor or equipment designed for use principally off public roads, except while actually upon public roads”.

As noted above, in Carney the word “equipment” was not found to unambiguously exclude the Formula Ford vehicle, and we cannot see a legal difference between that vehicle and the go-cart presently before us.

Both vehicles are small four wheel, single seat, rear engine machines. The Formula Ford is somewhat larger and usually would have an aerodynamically improved body configuration. Neither vehicle is licensable in the State of Louisiana, and neither is generally intended for use on public roads.

We do not find that the uninsured motorist coverage of the Hanover policy unambiguously excludes such a vehicle from coverage and the summary judgment of the trial court dismissing Hanover Insurance Company is reversed and the case is remanded to the district court for a full trial on the merits.

ALLSTATE COVERAGE

Defendant, Francis Arnaud, had a homeowners insurance policy with Allstate Insurance Company which, plaintiff alleges, provides coverage in the present situation. Allstate claims that there is no coverage for the accident, citing the exclusion section of the policy (Section II):

“This policy does not apply:
‘1. Under Coverage X-Family Liability and Coverage Y-Guest Medical Payments:
(a) to bodily injury or property damage arising out of the ownership, maintenance, operation, use, loading or unloading of:
* * * * * *
(3) any recreational motor vehicle owned by any Insured, if the bodily injury or property damage occurs away from the residence premises; but this subdivision (3) does not apply to golf carts while used for golfing purposes.’ ”

Allstate alleges that the instant go-cart is a “recreational motor vehicle” and excluded by the above quoted sub-section (3). The term “recreational motor vehicle” is defined in the policy as:

“ ‘recreational motor vehicle’ means (1) a golf cart or snowmobile or (2) if not subject to motor vehicle registration, any other land motor vehicle designed for recreational use off public roads.”

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Related

Grieshaber v. State Farm Mutual Insurance Co.
487 So. 2d 607 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1986)
Puckett v. Carolina Casualty Insurance
408 So. 2d 23 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1981)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
374 So. 2d 1261, 1979 La. App. LEXIS 2962, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hidalgo-v-allstate-insurance-lactapp-1979.