If you've been in insurance for any length of time, you've heard the phrase "sudden and accidental", meaning that the cause of loss must be just that, sudden and accidental. It is routinely tossed around as if it has been standard wording forever, and is a key factor in determining whether a loss is covered. Adjusters and agents often use the term sudden and accidental, in particular when setting parameters as to why a loss should or should not be covered.
Homeowners
The truth however, is surprising, if not downright startling. Sudden and accidental are not widespread parameters for covered losses; in fact, the term appears rarely, if at all, in most policies. Let's look. In the ISO homeowners form HO 00 03 03 22, the terms 'sudden and accidental' appear together only three times. Section I Perils Insured Against, which lists coverages for A and B, it states, "we insure against direct physical loss to property described in Coverages A and B."
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For enterprise-wide or corporate access, please contact our Sales Department at 1-800-543-0874 or email [email protected]Christine G. Barlow, CPCU
Christine G. Barlow, CPCU, is Executive Editor of FC&S Expert Coverage Interpretation, a division of National Underwriter Company and ALM. Christine has over thirty years’ experience in the insurance industry, beginning as a claims adjuster then working as an underwriter and underwriting supervisor handling personal lines. Christine regularly presents and moderates webinars on a variety of topics and is an experienced presenter.