Selfie accidents and insurance

  While social media is flooded with jaw-dropping selfies, the never-ending pursuit for the perfect shot has touched startling new heights. In trying to capture the “killer” selfie (pun intended) many lives have been lost; so much so that news reports have surfaced indicating that more people seem to have died from selfie accidents than shark attacks! Studies also show that the maximum number of selfie-related accidental deaths occurred in India between 2014 and 2016. Such reports have given rise to designated selfie-free zones in prominent tourist locations, providing relief to visitors who do not favour capturing precious travel moments through a phone camera. The selfie revolution has actually changed the way in which we experience life, and this presents before us a tragic irony when a selfie results in death. The pain is amplified for the family of the victim when the death does not qualify for an accidental death benefit in insurance. Are selfie accidents covered by insurance? In insurance parlance, an accident is defined as an incident that happens unexpectedly and causes injury or death of the involved parties. If you are equipped with adequate life insurance coverage, you or your beneficiary will receive compensation for the loss. While most of the insurance plans offering accidental death benefits are relatively cheap, the insurer puts forth a set of pre-defined exclusions that will not be covered under insurance. For instance, a pure term insurance plan provides extensive life insurance coverage to the policyholder at a low premium. Let us take the example of the ICICI Prudential iProtect Smart plan. This is a term insurance scheme offering a death benefit of Rs.1.5 crore for an annual premium of Rs.14,819 for a 35 year old male. The plan does not offer any maturity value, survival benefit, or paid-up value. If needed, the policyholder can opt for a variant of the plan that provides coverage for certain critical illnesses. The basic policy comes with a suicide exclusion clause that voids the coverage under the plan if the insured commits suicide within the first year of life insurance coverage. The insurer will refund 80% of the paid premiums to the beneficiary as well. Apart from this, loss of life after the consumption of drugs/alcohol, participating in criminal activities, nuclear accidents, and participation in dangerous sports are all excluded from the coverage. Coverage for death and disabilities: Life insurance companies are of the opinion that selfie accident claims will be honoured only if the death was purely accidental in nature. However, insurers advise that customers should not be putting themselves in danger while taking selfies. The insurance company usually verifies a claim by requesting the claimant for a First Information Report (FIR) that would rule out the possibility of a suicide. Claim payout will be made only for valid claims based on the verification. Insurers also clarify that in the event of a claim that does not result in death, the insured is required to submit a police investigation report to ascertain that the incident was not the result of negligence. It is understood that incidents arising out of negligence will not be offered coverage under life insurance. If a disability has been reported, the insured will also have to submit a certificate from a recognised hospital confirming the disability and a self-attested letter that narrates the incident. If the insured has died a natural death, irrespective of the involvement of a selfie, the claimant is required to furnish all medical records including the doctor’s statement. In the case of unnatural deaths/accidents, the following documents are required:

• Copy of the FIR/panchanama/police complaint
• Autopsy/post mortem report
• Viscera report
• Charge sheet/final police investigation report

Coverage for hospital expenses: Even if a person does not die from a selfie accident, he/she may need to be hospitalised for injuries suffered. Selfie-related injuries are not part of the exclusions under a health insurance plan. However, all hospitalisations will be evaluated for the safety measures taken by the customer. The insurer will also validate whether there was self-inflicted risk involved in the accident. If so, the claim will not be honoured by the insurance provider. Health insurers clarify that posing for a selfie in a difficult environment/situation is classified as a hazardous activity that is excluded from the coverage of the plan. Even in the case of a mediclaim policy, hospitalisation or outpatient treatment resulting from hazardous activities is not offered coverage. The documents required for a claim under health insurance include the original bills pertaining to hospitalisation, doctor’s letter, discharge summary, and a self-attested letter stating the reason for hospitalisation.