Ætna Life Ins. Co. of Hartford, Conn. v. Bidwell

Mrs. Thacker was accidentally killed while riding on a pleasure trip in a one-half ton pick-up truck. She had an accident insurance policy issued to her, a resident of Tennessee, by the .¿Etna Life Insurance Company. That policy agreed to pay the beneficiary therein named a specified amount if the insured is accidentally killed “while — riding in — a private passenger automobile of the pleasure car type”. The policy provided that the term “automobile” as used therein should not “include a motorcycle or any vehicle or mechanical device for aerial navigation”.

The question presented by this…