A widow in Singapore requested accidental death benefits from the insurer of her late husband, but the court granted her request on Thursday ( Mar 14 ).  ,
Mr Teng Boon Thye, 58,  , had died after riding his bicycle into a dump in 2021.  ,  ,
However, Chubb Insurance Singapore disputed the claims of about S$ 406, 000 ( US$ 305, 000 ) from the two policies her late husband was insured under.
Madam Lee Hui Chin, 60, submitted says to the employer, but the firm obtained a document listing causes of death that it used to accept the promises, saying the gentleman had died from disease, which was not covered under the policies.
Mdm Lee’s daughter, Ms Rachel Teng, consulted lawyers and later filed notices of arbitration with the Singapore International Arbitration Centre ( SIAC ) over the two polices.
However, the underwriter raised additional complaints, including that Ms. Teng was unable to start arbitration proceedings because she was not the policy holder.
Mdm Lee, who controls her husband’s plans, requested an extension of the time limit set by the Arbitration Act to allow for the referring of issues to arbitration.
In a view issued on Thursday, Justice Chua Lee Ming allowed her program.
THE Event
On April 2, 2021, Mr. Teng fell while riding his bicycle and was discovered incapacitated in an unfilled discharge.
He was taken to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, but he failed to awaken. A week later, he was taken off life support and passed away.
The treating specialists at the medical claimed that Mr. Teng died as a result of the injuries sustained in the incident, according to his daughter, 25-year-old Ms. Teng.
A spinal cord injury was identified as a result of an MRI on April 4, 2021, and Mr. Teng’s lungs had changed, his neck had broken, and he was in cardiac arrest.
The criminal doctor listed the cause of death as” coronary artery disease with pneumonia” on a dying certificate issued on April 10, 2021.
Additionally, the State Coroner issued a document confirming that an investigation was unnecessary because the cause of death was caused by natural reasons. As a result, no postmortem was carried out.
Mdm Lee, who is represented by Mr. Raj Singh Shergill and Desiree Koh Jia Min from Lee Shergill, organized two plan polices for Chubb Insurance Singapore to cover her father.
Justice Chua stated in his justification that the guidelines provided for accidental death benefits, paid in the event that dying occurs as a result of an accidental damage.
The laws also stated that any dispute may be escalated to mediation and that it may start three months after the parties have been unable to settle the dispute.
THE States
On Apr 20, 2021, Mdm Lee submitted promises to Chubb Insurance Singapore under the two laws.
Attorneys Kevin Kwek Yiu Wing, Gina Tan Yiting, and Sourish Sinha from Legal Solutions defend the employer.
The attending doctors stated that the primary cause of death was probably a cervical spine injuries that would cause respiratory arrest, according to a statement obtained from Ng Teng Fong General Hospital.
The report added that while the prosecutor had reported having a heart attack and having it with asthma, there was no evidence of an original heart attack, or an acute myocardial infarct, as the coroner had previously said.
The employer rejected Mdm Lee’s claims on the grounds that the cause of Mr. Teng’s death was caused by his illness, coronary artery disease with asthma, on August 19, 2021. This was not covered under the plans, the employer said.
Ms. Teng consulted doctors and obtained a second medical review from a physician, who stated, among other things, that there was no proof that Mr. Teng had died of coronary artery disease.
No examination had been performed, according to the physician.
In July 2022, Ms. Teng received letters of leadership as the executor of her husband’s will.
On Aug 26, 2022, attorneys for Mr Teng’s house wrote to the employer enclosing a version of the neurologist’s record.
The insurance firm agreed to extend the time frame for arbitration’s initiation until the end of June 2023 and took some time to examine the states.
But, Chubb Insurance Singapore confirmed its previous place on Dec 30, 2022 that the statements were not covered by the two laws.
In February 2023, Ms. Teng submitted two mediation finds to SIAC.  ,
In the reactions from the insurance company, it was stated that because she was not the policy holder, Ms. Teng was never permitted to start arbitration proceedings against it.
The employer requested that the proceedings be dismissed, and the arbitrator accepted.
In September 2023, Mdm Lee therefore requested an extension of the time needed to allow her to start mediation proceedings against Chubb Insurance Singapore.
Justice Chua granted her software, saying this was not a case where she had” sat idly by”.
Arbitration was started well before the expanded time table of Jun 30, 2023, he claimed. The issue was that the arbitration notices were issued in Ms. Teng’s name rather than ( Mdm Lee’s )”.
He noted that Mdm Lee filed the program fast, and that he also made note of it.
The sum involved was also important, with the value of the states under the guidelines amounting to S$ 406, 000.
Arbitration is generally private in Singapore.