Opinion ID: 1833638
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: insurance policy construction and use of automobile

Text: An insurance policy is to be construed as any other contract to give effect to the parties' intentions at the time the contract was made. Katskee v. Blue Cross/Blue Shield, 245 Neb. 808, 515 N.W.2d 645 (1994); Dalton Buick v. Universal Underwriters Ins. Co., 245 Neb. 282, 512 N.W.2d 633 (1994). When the terms of the contract are clear, the court may not resort to rules of construction, and terms are accorded their plain and ordinary meaning as the ordinary or reasonable person would understand them. Id. In such a case, a court shall seek to ascertain the intention of the parties from the plain language of the policy. Id. The burden to prove that an exclusionary clause in a policy applies rests upon the insurer. Economy Preferred Ins. Co. v. Mass, 242 Neb. 842, 497 N.W.2d 6 (1993); Robinson v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co., 188 Neb. 470, 197 N.W.2d 396 (1972). The phrase arising out of the ownership, maintenance, or use of the owned automobile has been interpreted by this court and other jurisdictions. Generally, a causal relationship or connection must exist between an accident or injury and the ownership, maintenance, or use of a vehicle in order for an incident to fall within the meaning of the phrase arising out of the ownership, maintenance, or use of a vehicle. Dairyland Ins. Co. v. Esterling, 205 Neb. 750, 290 N.W.2d 209 (1980), citing Annot., Automobile Liability Insurance: What Are Accidents or Injuries Arising Out of the Ownership, Maintenance, or Use of Insured Vehicle, 89 A.L.R.2d 150 (1963), superseded by Annot., 15 A.L.R.4th 10 (1982). The difficulty relates mainly to the determination of whether or not the required causal relationship was present under the facts of a particular case. Dairyland Ins. Co. v. Esterling, supra . We have defined the words arising out of the use as `very broad, general, and comprehensive, terms [that] are ordinarily understood to mean originating from, growing out of, or flowing from.' Id. at 754, 290 N.W.2d at 212, quoting National Union Fire Ins. Co. v. Bruecks, 179 Neb. 642, 139 N.W.2d 821 (1966). We also adhere to the rule that there must be some causal relationship between the injury and the use of the vehicle to come within the meaning of the phrase arising out of the use of a vehicle. Id.; Bisgard v. Johnson, 3 Neb. App. 198, 525 N.W.2d 225 (1994). The required causal connection is one of but for causation. National Union Fire Ins. Co. v. Bruecks, supra . See, also, Heringlake v. State Farm Casualty, 74 Wash.App. 179, 872 P.2d 539 (1994) (describing rule of law). Such a rule requires that the vehicle was more than the mere situs of the incident. Id. Our previous holding in Bruecks illustrates this point. In Bruecks, a group of minors were returning home from a hunting trip. One of the teenagers negligently attempted to unload his rifle, and the rifle discharged, causing a bullet to seriously injure the driver of the automobile. We found no causal connection between the injury and the use of the vehicle because the allegations of negligence in the case did not premise recovery on the use of the automobile in any manner. In particular, the gun did not discharge as a result of being in the vehicle or from any reason connected to vehicle. Thus, the action was not premised upon any connection to the vehicle other than its being the situs of the incident.