The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-05-26
SOME STRANGE ACCIDENTS.
Examples of Queer Ways In Which
 People May Be Hurt.

From the Kansas City Star
 Several years ago a clerk employed in a wholesale dry goods house went into the office of the agent of an accident in- surance company.
 q want my money!" he said abruptly. I've had an accident"
 What Is it?'
 Broke a rib"
 "How?'
 "Coughin'"
 whats that?" demanded the agent. My but you must be hearty tougher. How'd you do it?'
 "Just ooughin," replied the man. Here's the doctors certificate"
 And he really meant it." said the agent yesterday. "One of his ribs was broken, too. But we never could just figure out how he did it with his coughing appa- ratus We contended that 1t was not an accident covered by his policy and the courts sustained us. He collected no in- surance."
 Persons very frequentl try to collect accident insurance by injuries they innlet on themselves" said an insurance agent. A man in Ohio got a 'crieb in his leg while putting on his trousers and got $37. 50 from the company. Another man | dislocated his shoulder Wbfle turning over in bed and collected from the company.
 Unless one makes study of the in- surance business he cannot know the de- ceit that policyholders practice. I have known men out of work to declare they had a sprained back or limb which rem dered them unfit for work. And I was | tI,ot nothing wrong But they needed money and preferred to lounge about the house in an easy chair.
 "A man here in Kansas City laid his hand upon a block and deliberately cut off his fingers so he would collect acci- dent insurance.
 | Many accident insurance policies pro- | vide for payment to the holder of a cer- | tain sum in event of partial disability. | There Is a certain lot of people who take | advantage of these clauses at every op- portunity. In fact 1t seems sometimes that they make the opportunity. They l want money for a sprained finger, for l stubbed toe, for a touch Of rheumatism | and all things of such kind | There is a case pending In the Texas | supreme court now which has an odd fea- l ture. A feud existed between two men. one of whom was physician. The phy- sicians income was about $2500 year.
 
 much of it accident insurance. After he | had carried these policies couple of | months he went to his enemy and de- l manded that he sign a lie bili.' This is | Texas term meaning retraction. A quar- rel ensued, and the physician was shot and killed The insurance companies re- | fused te pay the policies on the ground | that the physician had taken insurance | in excess of the amount he would have | been able O carry. The case Is still in | court
 There are some men who can't get ac- | c lent insurance. Chief among these, l l preseume, is the pugilist. He stand no chance at all with the companies. And odd case Is that Of the woman who got too much laughing gas at the dentists's s. She didn't get over 1t for three weeks-was disabled for work and it | cost the company $4714 She said it was no laughing matter that the laughing gas had made her sick and she wanted her money.
 Insurance agents have quiet fun some times at the expense of their customers. I was in St. Louis one day, talking to well known agent. An Irishrnan with 1 his head bandaged came In.
 T slipped In saloon,' he said. Well well, that's too bad the agent replied DO you slip in saloons often?' | !" Be jabber, this is the foorst toime. I'-.e. been in many a saloon, but Oi never slipped before
 q" 'Oh. I see' the agent chuckled you mean you slipped down-struck the floor in saloon
 Nav. I sthruck the railin' aroun' the bar, the Irishman replied.
 "He was pretty sore-had a sprained shoulder and bruised jaw-and the com pany had to pay him"
 | Some cases are so odd and have att , tracted so much attention that they have gained a national reputation. For in- stance, "the night shirt case in Iowa and the tight shoe'' case in, St, Louis are | known to every insurance agent in the | United States In the former a man rup- | tured a blood vessel while putting on bis night shirt and died The supreme court
 held that his heirs could not recover on
 the policy Tn the latter Cease, man s
 heel was rubbed by a tight-ftting shoe. | It became sore and gangrene set in, caus- ing his death. The supreme court held that the accident policy should be paid.
 The following list of causes of accidents and the amounts paid are taken from the
 books of an accident insurance company
 Laying down carpet ...... ..........$ 5.1 | Dancing ... %. .................... 70 0t
 Running lawn mower ............. 25.W | Playing with child .................... 100 .0( | Taking one drink ................ 90 .U | Cow switched tail in eye ........... 7.5 l in, eal0op