Court Opinion

ID: 9713694
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 05:20:18.375186+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:23:20.007308
License: Public Domain

STATON, Judge,
dissenting.
I dissent. As noted by the majority, the exclusionary clause at issue only' applies if 1) Simmons’ death resulted from or was caused by, 2) participating in an activity or event, 3) while intoxicated as defined by Indiana law. The designated material reveals that Simmons’ death resulted from injuries he sustained after being struck by a train and that Simmons’ blood alcohol content at the time was .326. This evidence clearly establishes the first and third elements of the insurance policy’s exclusionary clause. The only question is whether Simmons was “participating in any activity or event” when he was struck by the train. The majority concludes that he was not. I disagree.
*1179Simmons’ death certificate concludes that he was struck by the train after he passed out on the tracks. It is unclear how the conclusion that Simmons passed out was reached since there were no witnesses to the accident. Even assuming it is correct, I must still conclude that Simmons’ act of lying on the railroad tracks constitutes participation in an event. Citing Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, the majority defines participate as “to take part” or “to have a part or share in something.” They define an event as an “occurrence” or “something that happens.” By placing himself on the railroad tracks, Simmons took part in the occurrence which would result in his death. Being struck by the train was the occurrence.
The majority relies upon the coroner’s conclusion that Simmons was unconscious at the time the train struck him to conclude that Simmons could not have been participating in any event or activity. However, the fact that Simmons may not have been active or aware of his circumstances at the precise moment the train struck him is of no moment. Simmons participated in the event which led to his death when he placed himself on the railroad tracks. That participation did not end at the moment he became unconscious. Simmons’ participation became passive, but it continued until the time the accident occurred.
Because the undisputed facts reveal that Simmons’ actions clearly and unmistakably fell within the exclusion to his accidental death insurance policy, I would reverse the trial court’s denial of AFLAC’s motion for summary judgment. Accordingly, I dissent.