The personal auto policy generally covers an insured for the use of any auto. The problem is: what does "use" mean? The FC&S editors get many questions from subscribers asking whether a certain claim involves the use of an auto. Courts around the country offer an infinite variety of interpretations that, while perhaps resolving a particular coverage dispute, really leave the central issue up in the air: What does the use of an auto really involve?
Courts usually say that in deciding whether injuries involve the use of an auto, one has to look to the facts of the particular case to determine any causal connection between the injuries and the use of the auto. However, there are certain guideposts that a court uses in making its final decision on the matter.
First, something about the auto itself must have caused the injury. Second, the injury must be closely related to the normal transportation function of the auto. Unfortunately, these guideposts mean different things to different courts.
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