Question of Fact Raised About Whether Injury Incurred by State Trooper; Paramedic when Removing Injured Person from Crashed Car Was Covered “Occurrence” Under Trooper; Paramedic’s Supplementary Uninsured-Underinsured Motorist Policy

Plaintiff, a state trooper, licensed registered nurse and paramedic, was injured helping to remove an injured person (Williams) from a car struck by Prindle’s car. Plaintiff sued Prindle and the action was settled for the policy limit. Then plaintiff sought to recover under his own supplementary uninsured-underinsured motorist policy (hereinafter SUM) (the defendant in this case).  The defendant insurance company denied coverage, claiming plaintiff was not injured in an automobile accident.  In affirming Supreme Court’s finding that the insurance company was not entitled to summary judgment dismissing the action because the policy language allowed the interpretation plaintiff’s injury was related to the “use” of Pringle’s vehicle, the Third Department wrote:

“[SUM] coverage policies, such as the one at issue herein, apply only when an insured’s injuries are [proximately] ’caused by an accident arising out of [the underinsured] motor vehicle’s ownership, maintenance or use'”….  Under the circumstances here, Supreme Court properly concluded that defendant failed to meet  its threshold burden of demonstrating  that plaintiff’s injury was not caused by the use of Prindle’s underinsured vehicle. We reject defendant’s narrow interpretation of the SUM policy’s provision requiring  that  the  insured’s  injuries be directly caused by an accident that arose out of the use of a vehicle and defendant’s related assertion that the accident complained of here occurred only at the time of plaintiff’s injury. Construing the language of the policy liberally and resolving any ambiguity in favor of the insured …, defendant’s interpretation is contrary to the plain meaning thereof.  Kesnick v New York Central Mutual Fire Insurance Company, 514901, 3rd Dept, 5-9-13

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