Accidental Death

An accidental death is a death caused by the unintentional actions of a person, entity or event. Life insurance policies are purchased to cover unintentional deaths and proceeds from the policy are paid to specific beneficiaries. Unintentional death benefit policies have specific restrictions and are not paid if the requirements are not met. For instance, often the death must occur within a specified time after the accident (i.e. within 30 days) or the deceased must die before a specific age.

Accidental deaths can occur from falls, car accidents, poisoning by liquids or solids, drowning, suffocation, burns and fires, gas poisoning, shooting deaths, death by machinery, and surgical and medical mistakes.