Karen Briggs v. Nat'l Union Fire Ins. Co.

**Worker Denied Life Insurance Benefits After Private Plane Crash** Karen Briggs sued her employer's insurance company after it refused to pay accidental death benefits when her husband died in a private airplane crash. Briggs worked for a company owned by Interpublic Group and had an accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) insurance policy through her employer. When her husband died in the plane crash, she filed a claim for benefits but was denied coverage. The court sided with the insurance company and dismissed Briggs' lawsuit. The judge found that the insurance policy clearly excluded deaths that occurred during "aerial navigation" in private aircraft. Since Briggs' husband died in a private plane, the exclusion applied and the insurance company was not required to pay benefits. This case highlights the importance of carefully reading your employer-provided insurance policies. Many life and accident insurance plans contain specific exclusions for high-risk activities like flying in private aircraft, extreme sports, or dangerous hobbies. Workers should review their benefit documents to understand what situations are and aren't covered, especially if they or their family members regularly participate in activities that insurers might consider risky.