Opinion ID: 2610859
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: the injuries arose out of use of the van.

Text: The injuries arose when Michael was trying to unload Wade in his wheelchair from the van. She was using a hydraulic lift, but apparently the brake on the chair was set, and she was unable to push Wade over the edge created by the ramp on the side of the van. She tried to lift the wheelchair over the edge and allegedly sustained a back injury. Sanchez v. Herrera, 109 N.M. 155, 783 P.2d 465 (1989), is controlling on the issue before us. Progressive refers us to the law of other jurisdictions, but in the face of New Mexico precedent directly on point, we find it unnecessary to go beyond our borders to determine the applicable law. [1] In Sanchez we determined that the unloading of guns in the cab of a pickup truck was foreseeably incident to use of that vehicle. Id. at 157, 783 P.2d at 467. In that case we adopted the following rule to determine coverage: whether the use made of the vehicle at the time of the accident logically flows from and is consistent with the foreseeable uses of that vehicle. Id. We found coverage because the use of the vehicle for hunting was foreseeable, transportation of weapons in the cab was incident to that foreseeable use, the use of the vehicle as shelter was foreseeable and incident to its use while hunting, and the loading and unloading of weapons in the vehicle, however, unwise, was foreseeable. Id. Application of the principles articulated in Sanchez is straightforward. The immediate cause of Michael's alleged injuries was Wade's negligence in setting the brake on the wheelchair that made its normal movement difficult and caused her to attempt to lift him onto the ramp. This occurred while Michael was assisting Wade out of the van. It is foreseeable, and in fact a necessary condition, that, in using the van, Wade would have to enter into and exit from the vehicle. [2] Because Wade was confined to a wheelchair, loading and unloading him with the use of the hydraulic lift was reasonably foreseeable. Incidental to this foreseeable use was that he would need assistance  he was physically unable to do this task alone. The injury to Michael occurred while assisting Wade to disembark. The cause of the accident was reasonably connected to a use of the vehicle, and this accident was within the scope of Progressive's coverage.