Court Opinion

ID: 9854707
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-24 06:12:16.948703+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:23:16.436749
License: Public Domain

Birdsong, Judge,
dissenting.
I concur in the dissent authored by Judge Banke but wish to add an additional observation as to why the accidental injury suffered by Warner is not cognizable under the Motor Vehicle Reparations Act.
OCGA § 33-34-2 (Code Ann. § 56-3402b) defines compensable accidental bodily injury as that arising out of the use of a motor vehicle (“operation” and “maintenance” should be eliminated as there can be no question such was not being done by Warner). OCGA § 33-34-2 (9) (Code Ann. § 56-3403b) defines use of a motor vehicle as use of that vehicle as a vehicle. Using a motor vehicle as a “vehicle” is defined in Black’s Law Dictionary as using it as a means of conveyance.
The cases cited in the majority opinion (Southeastern Fidelity Ins. Co. v. Stevens, supra; Hartford Accident &c. Co. v. Booker, supra, and Jones v. Transamerica Ins. Co., supra) all involve cases where the vehicle was being used for the purpose for which it was designed; i.e., to convey a person or a product, that is the vehicle was being used as a conveyance. Even in Jones, supra, where Jones was found dead *361outside the car the motor had been running so that the death of Jones resulted from the actual operation of the car.
On the other hand, the truck in Leverette v. Aetna Cas. &c. Co., supra, at the time of the accident, was being used as a “step ladder” to pick fruit and was not being used as a conveyance. Thus, this court correctly held the injury not to be the result of a use of the vehicle as a vehicle, i. e., a conveyance. Likewise in this case, Warner had no intent to use the vehicle as a vehicle. He had no key to the truck or desire to do more than clarify the ambiguity in a static situation. Inasmuch as this injury did not result from the use of the vehicle as a vehicle, I conclude this was not an accidental injury compensable under the Motor Vehicle Reparations Act and accordingly must dissent.
I respectfully dissent. I am authorized to state that Presiding Judge Quillian, Judge Banke and Judge Pope, join in this dissent.