What Types Of Death Does Term Life Insurance Cover? 
Traditional term life insurance covers deaths that occur by both illness and injury . If you have a Accidental Death and Dismemberment -LRB- AD&D -RRB- life insurance policy , then the death benefit will only pay proceeds if death occurs under accidental means -LRB- e.g. a car accident -RRB- . If you die by illness -LRB- e.g. heart attack , cancer , etc. -RRB- and are only covered by an AD&D life insurance policy , then no proceeds will be paid out . Please note , during the first 2 years of any life insurance policy , there is what 's called a `` contestability period '' in which if death occurs by suicide or it 's discovered upon review that the applicant intentionally lied on an application -LRB- committing fraud -RRB- , then the carrier can refuse to pay out a claim . After the 2 year contestability period has expired , then the carrier can not challenge these types of issues upon a claim . The reason for the contestability period is 2 years is deemed a fair amount of time for someone who thinks about committing suicide would have gotten help and tried to move past it by that point and carriers would have had enough time to find issues with a policy if fraud was present . If you 're looking for life insurance , I would suggest consulting with an experienced and knowledgeable independent insurance broker who can discuss your needs of coverage and what goals you want to have met with it while also comparing multiple insurance companies to secure the coverage at the lowest possible cost . I hope the information is helpful - please feel free to contact me for help with your coverage and if you have any other questions . Thanks very much . 