Life insurance from Death of mother.

Jimbo6376

Hi all. 

My mother died on 2nd January. We found out she had two insurance policies. One was accidental only and the other is a life insurance policy that pays extra if the death was accidental. 

She had a fall on the ice before Christmas and fractured her femur which was operated on. She spent Christmas with her brother, she had been getting short of breath and on the morning of January 2nd she collapsed and went into cardiac arrest. Unfortunately the wonderful, multiple ambulance crews could not save her. 

A coroners  report was required and their will be an inquest in July. The interim certificate states

I a Bilateral Pulmonary Embolism
I b Fall and hip fracture (operated)

The insurance company that has accidental as an extra has paid out the initial money. So the minimum. They say they are waiting for the inquest in July before paying out the accidental part.
Does this sound correct?

The accidental only policy has not yet paid out.

It seems wrong chasing money during this really sad time, but I want to make sure that she didn't pay in to these policies for no reason.  

Could the inquest change the interim certificate, is that normal? Have any of you had experience of something similar?

DullGreyGuy

Sorry for your loss.

Given the gap between the accident and the passing plus the major intervention of the operation its inevitable they are going to ideally want a clearer result.

As per the current death cert the cause of death was a blood clot in both of the pulmonary arteries which they have linked to the hip fracture that was operated on. As currently written it could be the fall caused a blood clot which moved and was always going to do so or it could be the operation caused further blood clotting which then moved etc.

The former would likely be close enough to the accident to be covered (subject to exact terms) whereas the later is less likely even if the operation was only done because of an accident as it is then too remote. 

I can't say how often inquests change/refine death certificates I'm afraid but the causal chain is often a point of contention with insurance... particularly in west coast US Earthquake is often not covered but you get cases where an earthquake happens and ruptures gas pipes that then ignite and an insured's house burns down and so is the cause of loss the fire or the earthquake?

dunstonh

Sorry for your loss.

The insurance company that has accidental as an extra has paid out the initial money. So the minimum. They say they are waiting for the inquest in July before paying out the accidental part.
Does this sound correct?

Yes.   It is normal to wait for the inquest with the accidental side. 

Could the inquest change the interim certificate, is that normal? Have any of you had experience of something similar?

The inquest is to determine the circumstances and to provide the details of the cause of death.  it supersedes any determination made on the interim certificate.  So, as such, it is possible for an inquest to change the reasons.

Jimbo6376

Thank you for the replies. It seems odd talking about money at the moment but unfortunately it needs to be sorted.