Opinion ID: 2959684
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Coverage Of The Pickup Truck

Text: Bratton’s assignment of error 2 reads in relevant part: II. The circuit court erred as a matter of law in holding that Bratton was not entitled to insurance proceeds through [the pickup truck] that state regulations mandated be present at the work site and equipped with a rotating strobe light. A. The circuit court erred as a matter of law in determining that at the time Slone was killed, he was not “using” the [pickup truck as] safety vehicle. 3 In light of this holding, we do not reach assignment of error I.C., regarding whether Slone was “using” the dump truck at the time of the accident, or assignment of error I.D., regarding whether the circuit court made an error with respect to the evidentiary basis of its holding. Jimenez v. Corr, 288 Va. 395, 404, 764 S.E.2d 115, 118 (2014). 13
The General Assembly requires uninsured and underinsured motorist insurance to extend to the “use” of a covered vehicle. Code § 38.2-2206(A), (B). Accordingly, the Selective Insurance Policy, like many motor vehicle insurance policies, includes “use” or “using” as a type of “occupying” a “covered auto.” But whether the obligation is found in the insurance policy itself, or can be found only in the Code, the meaning of “use” or “using” is the same because “[t]he provisions of . . . Code § 38.2-2206 are part of the contract of insurance, and we will not consider language in a policy that, arguably, is inconsistent with the statute as we have construed it.” Dyer v. Dairyland Ins. Co., 267 Va. 726, 731, 594 S.E.2d 592, 595 (2004) (internal quotation marks, citation, and alterations omitted). We have explained that the “critical inquiry” in determining whether an individual was “using” a vehicle requires ascertaining “whether there was a causal relationship between the incident and the employment of the insured vehicle as a vehicle.” Slagle v. Hartford Ins. Co., 267 Va. 629, 635, 594 S.E.2d 582, 585 (2004). Also, “we have established some general guidelines” for this analysis, including that “[t]he injured person must be using the insured vehicle as a vehicle and as an integral part of his mission,” that “[a]ctual use of the vehicle as a vehicle is not restricted to its transportation function,” and that “[u]se of the vehicle need not be the direct, proximate cause of the injury in the strict legal sense.” Id. at 636, 594 S.E.2d at 586 (internal quotation marks and citations omitted). We have not gone further in defining what it means to be “using” a vehicle for purposes of a motor vehicle insurance policy because of the “infinite variety of factual patterns” in which the question arises. Simpson, 279 Va. at 699, 692 S.E.2d at 247. Instead, adequate guidance to decide the case before us can be found by reviewing our prior decisions on the issue of “using” a 14 vehicle. See, e.g., id. at 699-701, 692 S.E.2d at 247-48; Slagle, 267 Va. at 634-37, 594 S.E.2d at 585-86.
The circuit court ruled that Slone was not “using” the pickup truck at the time of the collision. Pursuant to assignment of error II.A., this was error. We need not review the full body of case law pertaining to whether an individual was “using” a vehicle. Instead, four cases present factual situations particularly instructive for the facts of this case. In Insurance Company of North America v. Perry, 204 Va. 833, 134 S.E.2d 418 (1964), this Court held that a police officer was not “using” his police cruiser at the time of the accident. When the accident occurred the officer was engaged in the act of serving a warrant 164 feet away from the parked cruiser, with the keys to the cruiser in his pocket. Id. at 834, 838, 134 S.E.2d at 419, 421. Similarly, in United States Fire Insurance Company v. Parker, 250 Va. 374, 463 S.E.2d 464 (1995), this Court held that a landscape gardener was not “using” her company pickup truck at the time of the accident even though the truck’s two-way radio was on. When the accident occurred the gardener was engaged in the act of digging a hole 12 to 15 feet away from the truck. Id. at 376, 378, 463 S.E.2d at 465-66. Moreover, although the gardener had positioned the truck at the jobsite to form a safety barrier from speeding motorists, this was done independent from any direction of the employee’s supervisors, and the vehicle itself lacked special or emergency warning lights. Id. By way of contrast, in Great American Insurance Company v. Cassell, 239 Va. 421, 389 S.E.2d 476 (1990), this Court held that a firefighter captain was “using” a firetruck at the time of the accident. Even though the captain was engaged in the act of completing a required fire report 15 20 to 25 feet away from the firetruck when the accident occurred, the firetruck had its lights on, and was positioned to influence the flow of traffic and to provide a protective barrier to the firefighters during the course of their mission, which had not yet concluded. Id. at 422-24, 389 S.E.2d at 476-77. And in Randall v. Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, 255 Va. 62, 496 S.E.2d 54 (1998), this Court held that a road work employee was “using” his company pickup truck. Even though the employee was engaged in the act of placing lane closure signs along the shoulder of the interstate 6 to 10 feet away from the truck when the accident occurred, the truck’s flashing yellow bubble light was in use and the employer’s safety procedures governing the employee’s work incorporated the use of the truck as a protective vehicle. Id. at 64-67, 496 S.E.2d at 54-57. The factual circumstances of this case closely align with the situations in Cassell and Randall. Most importantly, Draper Paving, through the activities of the jobsite supervisor and paving superintendent Harmon, had employed the pickup truck at the Route 419 jobsite with its warning lights on as a safety vehicle for the purpose of protecting Draper Paving employees such as Slone during the course of the Route 419 project. As the circuit court observed, the pickup truck operated as “a rolling barricade . . . among all the other safety equipment at the [jobsite].” Accordingly, the pickup truck, like the firetruck in Cassell and the company truck in Randall, was a “specialized vehicle, one designed to be used for more than simply transportation,” and Slone was “using” that specialized purpose during the course of his mission and at the time of the accident. Randall, 255 Va. at 67, 496 S.E.2d at 57. Thus, Slone was “occupying” the pickup 16 truck, and Bratton is entitled to insurance proceeds under the Selective Insurance Policy’s coverage of the pickup truck as a “covered auto.” 4 E. Slone’s Personal Motor Vehicle Insurance Policy Bratton’s assignment of error 3 reads: III. The circuit court erred in determining that the estate was entitled to only $50,000 of the State Farm insurance proceeds from Slone’s personal [motor vehicle insurance] policy, rather than $100,000 – based upon the court’s finding that underinsured motorist[] coverage is unavailable. The circuit court ruled that Slone’s personal motor vehicle insurance policy, issued by State Farm, owed Bratton only $50,000 for underinsured motorist insurance proceeds. Pursuant to assignment of error 3, this was error. Bratton and State Farm agree that, if there is no coverage under the Selective Insurance Policy, State Farm owes Bratton only $50,000 as a second priority underinsured motorist carrier under Slone’s personal motor vehicle insurance policy. But if there is coverage under the Selective Insurance Policy, State Farm owes the full limit of $100,000 in underinsured motorist coverage under Slone’s personal motor vehicle insurance policy. As there is coverage under the Selective Insurance Policy, State Farm owes Bratton the full $100,000 in underinsured motorist coverage under Slone’s personal motor vehicle insurance policy. 4 In light of this holding, we do not reach assignment of error II.B., regarding whether the circuit court made an error with respect to the evidentiary basis of its holding. Jimenez, 288 Va. at 404, 764 S.E.2d at 118. Also, we note that the circuit court held that the pickup truck was not being used as a “shadow vehicle” in accordance with the Virginia Work Area Protection Manual, which provides details about work-zone safety and is used by construction crews throughout Virginia. The parties dispute this holding on appeal. We need not address it because Slone was “using” the pickup truck regardless of whether the pickup truck was a “shadow vehicle.” 17