Century Companies of America v. Krahling

LARSON, Justice.

The narrow issue on this appeal is whether the failure of an artificial heart valve constitutes an accidental death under double indemnity provisions of a life insurance policy. The district court held that it did not, and we agree.

The parties provided the district court with an agreed statement of facts that shows the following. Wayne E. Krahling had a prosthetic aortic heart valve surgically implanted in April 1982. In May 1989, the valve malfunctioned, and Krahling was taken to a hospital, where he died three days later. The cause of death was “cardiac arrest and central…