In insurance, accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) is a policy that pays benefits to the beneficiary if the cause of death is an accident. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, accidental deaths are the fifth leading cause of death in the U.S. as well as Canada. Some of the covered accidents include traffic accidents, exposure, homicide, falls, heavy equipment accidents and drowning.
It is important to carefully review the terms of an AD&D policy to understand what is covered, and under what time frames. There are several temporal limitations to recovery. For example, if a person is injured in an accident that later turns out to be fatal, the death must occur within a certain amount of time. In addition, to qualify for 100% of the dismemberment insurance, the injury may have to involve the loss of two limbs or both eyes. If you are a beneficiary of an AD&D policy and have been denied your accidental death benefit, you should contact an experienced life insurance attorney to hear about your recovery options.