The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-06-02
WHAT II An ACcIDExrs

What ga accident n becomes = very Inn
portant question when there II life tn
surance policy for s. 900 behind it. A man
In Kentucky took out policy II an acct
dent Insurance company: he was bitten
By q mosquito and died. The doctors said
he died from the effects Of the bite. 10 his
widow demanded the insurance money.
The company refused to pay. presumably
on the ground that mosquito bite was
natural Cause and not an accident. The
lower court held with the company, pos
sibly. It was suggested. because the judge
came from New Jersey. where he had
formed the opinion that the bite OF a
mosquito was an ordinary occurrence. but
II the deceased. not being New Jersey
man. had not died from the bite. that
would have been an accident
The court Of appeals has reversed this
and decided that the bite OF a mosquito Is
an accident One way Of looking at It. 50
It is. There Is = similarity between .
mosquito bite and being run over by
locomotive. II q man were killed that
locomotive missed the man or the man
missed the locomotive there would be no
accident. Is that not equally true OF
mosquito bite?
photographers never had this class Of
misfortunes In mind when they defined
accident. or the insurance companies have
chosen the wrong word. Accident" Is said
to be anything that happens" Now.
mosquito bite happens. It h further dis
tinguished as anything occurring unex-
pectedly." A mosquito bito always hap
pens unexpectedly. II 1t 10 expected, there
II no man living, even with an accident
policy in his pocket. could resist the temp
tation to whack at the insect II the
mosquito could be put on the stand, 1t
might help to prove contributory negli-
gence. showing that 1t rang Its buzzer to
give warning Of Its approach. yet the VIC
tim made no attempt to mash 1t. but reck-
lessly stood still right In the way OF the
singer. and so got It in the neck.
Insurance men tell OF other interpreted
tons Of accidents made by courts. One
man had horse run away end tip him
out Of buggy. He was not hurt. but he
stumbled into poison sumach bush.
was stung and died. He got his money.
So did man who was cutting poison oak.
He tossed some into a stream Then he
took q bath and the poison oak so In
jured him that he was laid up.
Stiu the companies can afford to pay
occasional losses like these. The odds are
in their favor: and they often insure peo-
pie like the Denver man told OF by Ward
Ellis:
"He insured against accidental poison
ing. against falls. collisions, explosions.
wrecks by land and water. footpads and
policemen, Denver whisky and Wiz. cow
boys. And then one day. being moved to
charity for his wife. he went out and tried
TO kill himself. He drank enough to have
slain any man. he hired q runaway team,
which went wild and dumped him at the
railway station. He hoped on moving
freight. which ran into the noon express.
and smashed every car from the cahoose
to the tender. He escaped without a
scratch, but plunged into tho river In
despair and was pulled out by cowboy
and taken home by a policeman. He
lived In fiat building. and, running to
the roof. he dived OF head first to tho
pavement. But some other people were
moving in, and he landed on five thick
nesses Of mattress. Thea he fred at HIM
self with the family shotgun. and 1t
wasn't loaded. After that he gave UP and
went TO bed. Ordinarily such devotion
would have made millionaire widow.
But this man slept through Sunday. and
was as good as new Monday morning"
The companies ought TO have class
for "recklessness; II would pay. The
more reckless man is the less his chance
OF accident. 1t Is the same with boys as
with men. II parent has a daredevil
boy. and a good. careful conscientious
boy. and he wants to draw on the policy,
! Let him always insure the cautious boy:
no use 10 insure the other; II is just waste
/ OF money. He will cutiive the company.