Accidental Means

What Does Accidental Means Mean?

Accidental means are things that happen as the result of an accident, rather than as a result of an individual's deliberate decision and action. Some insurance policies only provide coverage for accidentals means, and not for events that were caused deliberately by some actor.

Insuranceopedia Explains Accidental Means

Accidental means can be the result of someone's deliberate action, but not if that action is its proximate cause. For instance, a person accidentally slipping and falling made the deliberate decision to walk across the slippery surface. But while the walk was not accidental, the slip and fall were. Likewise, deliberate actions are involved in auto accidents, but the crash itself is not deliberate.

If, however, a malicious person deliberate smashes an insured's windshield with a baseball bat, this would not be caused by accidental means. If the insured's policy excludes damage from deliberate actions, then this loss would not be covered by the insurance company.