The widow of man who died of an infected tick bite recently recovered a $256,000 settlement from a life insurance company. The man, an avid, hunter, was bit by a tick on his knee during a hunting trip. Within a week, the man’s knee became severely infected and he died about two weeks after the tick bite. The widow was the named beneficiary under her husband’s accidental death policy providing $250,000 in death benefits. After the widow demanded the proceeds, the insurer responded with a series of delays in investigating the cause of the death, an all too common occurrence in the life insurance industry.
Finally, after contacting the coroner and reviewing the man’s autopsy report and hospital records, the insurer concluded that the man’s death was accidental and covered under his policy. As a result, the insurer decided to forego trial and settle the claim, paying the widow $250,000 in death benefits plus $6,000 in interest.