Opinion ID: 1675073
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Coverage ABodily Injury Liability

Text: Coverage BProperty Damage Liability The company will pay on behalf of the insured all sums which the insured shall become legally obligated to pay as damages because of A. bodily injury or B. property damage to which this insurance applies, caused by an occurrence, and the company shall have the right and duty to defend any suit against the insured seeking damages on account of such bodily injury or property damage, even if any of the allegations of the suit are groundless, false or fraudulent, and may make such investigation and settlement of any claim or suit as it deems expedient, but the company shall not be obligated to pay any claim or judgment or to defend any suit after the applicable limit of the company's liability has been exhausted by payment of judgments or settlements. Exclusions This insurance does not apply: (a) ... (b) to bodily injury or property damage arising out of the ownership, maintenance, operation, use, loading or unloading of (1) any automobile or aircraft owned or operated by or rented or loaned to the named insured, or (2) any other automobile or aircraft operated by any person in the course of his employment by the named insured; but this exclusion does not apply to the parking of an automobile on premises owned by, rented to or controlled by the named insured or the ways immediately adjoining, if such automobile is not owned by or rented or loaned to the named insured; ... (Emphasis supplied.) Therefore, coverage in this case was provided unless it can be said that this accident arose out of the use of an automobile. In the Definitions section of this policy, it is provided: When used in this policy (including endorsements forming a part hereof): `automobile' means a land motor vehicle, trailer or semi-trailer designed for travel on public roads (including any machinery or apparatus attached thereto), but does not include mobile equipment; ... `mobile equipment' means a land vehicle (including any machinery or apparatus attached thereto), whether or not self-propelled, (1) not subject to motor vehicle registration, or (2) maintained for use exclusively on premises owned by or rented to the named insured, including the ways immediately adjoining, or (3) designed for use principally off public roads, or (4) designed or maintained for the sole purpose of affording mobility to equipment of the following types forming an integral part of or permanently attached to such vehicle: power cranes, shovels, loaders, diggers and drills, concrete mixers (other than the mix-in-transit type); graders, scrapers, rollers and other road construction or repair equipment; air-compressors, pumps and generators, including spraying, welding and building cleaning equipment; and geophysical exploration and well servicing equipment; (Emphasis supplied.) Threshermen's policy provides that mobile equipment is not included within the definition of automobile for the purpose of this exclusion. Threshermen's argues that this unit could not be considered mobile equipment under the policy because it fails to satisfy the first requirement, that it is ... (1) not subject to motor vehicle registration. It is admitted the truck was subject to registration and in fact was registered. However, the four requisites for mobile equipment listed in this definition are alternative definitions. The presence of the article or after the first three indicates that any land vehicle which satisfied one of these requirements would be considered mobile equipment for purposes of this policy. At least subdivision four is applicable to the instant situation. The hoist, as it was being used, was, by the terms of the policy, included in the term land vehicle. Thus, the truck and the hoist, as they were being used at the time of the accident, are considered one unit under this policy. Luchterhand testified at trial that the body of this truck was designed for a crane or a boom. The automobile exclusion in this policy did not apply to this accident because this accident did not arise out of the use of an automobile as that term is defined in the policy. Finally, counsel for Threshermen's Mutual Insurance Company said at trial and on appeal that there definitely was coverage in this case by one of these policies and that if American Family did not cover this accident, then the general liability policy issued by Threshermen's did. As previously indicated, American Family did not provide coverage; therefore, counsel for Threshermen's has conceded that the general liability policy did cover the accident.