An insured holds an 'accident only' health policy. Which event, if it causes a covered medical expense, is a peril the policy generally would NOT cover?

Why A is correct

A peril is the actual cause of loss. An accident-only policy defines its covered peril narrowly as accidental bodily injury caused by an accident — a sudden, unexpected, and unintended event. A heart attack is a sickness or disease process, not an accidental injury, even though it occurs suddenly. Because the peril (sickness) is outside the insuring clause of an accident-only policy, the resulting medical expenses are generally excluded. Falls, bicycle collisions, and dog bites are classic accidental perils that produce accidental bodily injury.

Why the other options are wrong

• B) A fall is a sudden, unintended, external event that produces accidental bodily injury; it is a covered accident peril.
• C) A bicycle collision is an accidental event causing bodily injury, squarely within an accident policy's covered perils.
• D) A dog bite is an unexpected, unintentional, external cause of injury — a covered accident peril, not a sickness.

Memory hook

Accident policies insure accidents, not ailments. A heart attack is sickness, whatever the clock says.