No Death Benefits After Fatal Catheter Accident, 5th Cir. Says

National Union Fire Insurance Co. of Pittsburgh properly denied accidental death benefits on behalf of a woman who bled to death after accidentally cutting her dialysis catheter while changing a bandage, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled Tuesday.

Barbara Lebron’s actions in changing a bandage around her dialysis catheter qualified as “medical or surgical treatment” for purposes of an exclusion in her accidental death benefits policy, the court said in an unpublished opinion. “Medical treatment” is a broad term that encompasses all steps taken to cure a disease or injury, the court said.

“Barbara’s actions in ...