Ryan Dunn, co-star in the Jackass film series, was killed in an auto accident early this morning in a Philadelphia suburb. He was 34 years old.

The story was confirmed by April Margera, the mother of Jackass co-star Bam Margera, who shared a close relationship with Dunn. A second person, whose identity is unknown, also died in the accident.

How Will This Impact His Family?

The premature death of Ryan Dunn reminds us of the necessity of life insurance, especially for middle-class Americans.

For the average American family, the death of a breadwinner can be financially devastating. Not only is the primary income lost, but access to health insurance and other necessities could disappear, too. The mortgage, the car payment, household bills, credit card payments, groceries—the day-to-day expenses are endless.

It’s a sad fact that millions of American adults do not carry any form of life insurance, and for a variety of reasons—cost, a misconception that life insurance is too complicated, unwillingness to consider one’s own mortality—some consumers are hesitant to purchase coverage.

Ryan Dunn and other film stars may have the financial means to support their loved ones even without life insurance, but most Americans aren’t so fortunate. That’s why purchasing life insurance is so important.
photo credit: Kevin Hutchinson

Dr Howard Martin, a British General Practitioner recently decided to break his silence and admit that he was responsible for the deaths of many terminally ill patients in his care. He insisted that, in administering lethal doses of painkillers to patients he had been acting out of ‘Christian compassion.’ Dr Martin’s outpouring appears to a response to the General Medical Council‘s recent decision to strike him off. Cases of ‘assisted suicide’ have not only major moral implications for the bereaved, but practical ones – life insurance companies may not pay out on policies if suicide is found to be the cause of death.

Euthanasia’s Implications for Life Insurance

During all his years as a doctor Howard Martin made no secret of his belief in euthanasia – a belief which was tested to the utmost in 1988, when he helped his son Paul , who was terminally ill with cancer, die. Euthanasia, however, is illegal in the UK and Dr Martin, who is now 75 years old, said that in making his recent confession he was doing so with the full knowledge that he may have to spend the rest of his life in prison.

Life insurance companies will not pay out if suicide is found to be the cause of death, even if the person is terminally ill. Assisted suicide in these types of cases can be difficult to prove however if the person’s life was hanging in the balance anyway due to their illness. If suicide is suspected, then life insurers will insist on an autopsy to determine the cause of death.

Dr Martin Acted Autonomously in Administering Fatal Drugs

The police believe that Dr Martin may have been involved in the deaths of up to 30 patients, and he has stated that he acted in accordance with their wishes, in terms of carrying out assisted suicides. However there were apparently two exceptions to this where the drugs administered by Dr Martin – those which killed the patients -were administered without their having given their consent, effectively making Dr Martin’s involvement in their deaths murder.

Many people back the right of the terminally ill to choose when to die, including some of the relatives of those assisted by Dr Martin, who called him an ‘angel of mercy.’ Other relatives, however, said they felt betrayed by him.

This recent case illustrates how the debate over assisted suicide continues with opinions divided on the issue. The government in the UK has tried to bring in a bill to legalize euthanasia three times and three times it has been defeated. Very few places in the world have a form of legal euthanasia, and they include: The Netherlands, Belgium and the American states of Oregon, Washington, Montana, and Texas. Life Insurers will have policies which reflect the legality of these practices in these areas.

photo credit: Sarah G…

Termed the ‘black widow,’ 51 year old Tami Duvall of Indianapolis has been accused of murdering her husband. Her motive: cashing in her husband’s $100,000 life insurance policy.

Alan Duvall, 61, died at his home in Columbus back in 2007 and the cause of death was initially determined to be alcohol poisoning. Tami Duvall confirmed these findings, stating that she believed he had ‘drunk himself to death.’ But Mr. Duvall’s blood also had a high level of morphine in it at the time of death – around 82 times the recommended therapeutic level.

Increasing Suspicion from Life Insurance Company and Victim’s Family

The presence of drugs in his system made Mr. Duvall’s family suspicious: Duval’s stepbrother stated that Alan Duvall enjoyed his drink but strictly abhorred the use of drugs – he told the Republic newspaper that “if someone walked in his house and had drugs, he would throw them out.”

Working at a local nursing home, Tami Duvall would have easy access to certain drugs such as morphine, which killed her husband. Prosecutors affirm that the cause of death was drugs which were placed in Alan. Duvall’s food by Tami Duvall on the night he died.

Life Insurance Policy Worth $100,000 Believed to be the Motive

The prosecution reported that just a month prior to his death Tami Duvall persuaded her husband to take out a life insurance policy of $100,000 naming her as the beneficiary, even though she had recently told friends that she intended to divorce her husband.

Duvall Anxious to have Life Insurance Payout Released

Tami Duvall began acting suspiciously after her husband’s death; she became anxious to get the body cremated as quickly as possible and asked investigators several times how much longer they were going to take since she needed to collect on a life insurance policy.

Tami Duvall later changed her statement to police about what happened the night of her husband’s death. She stated that Alan Duvall had taken the morphine himself in order to commit suicide.

Tami Duvall has been charged with murder, insurance fraud and obstruction of justice. A plea of ‘not guilty’ has been entered for her at a preliminary hearing and the trial date is set for January 2011.

Source: Chicago Tribune August 2010

We’ve all heard the main and obvious reasons to quit smoking. Heart disease and cancer are two of the biggest killers of people in our time and two of the most preventable as well. World Health Organization studies indicate that if left unchecked, smoking could easily wipe out more than a billion people in this century. If the Titanic sank with all hands every 24 minutes for the next 100 years, that would be close to the number of deaths from smoking.

Three quarters of smokers today are trying to kick the habit which is up 32 percent from twenty years ago. The reasons for quitting have only gotten more prevalent as health issues have connected cigarette smoking to everything from diabetes to blindness and everything in between. It’s not just about heart disease, stroke and cancer anymore. Now, the health issues associated with smoking can even harm your children and those around you. Here are a few other quality of life issues associated with smoking that you may not know about.

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It is hard to believe that it has been over a year since the tragic loss of one of the scariest “Jokers” in “Batman” history. One of the first Jokers, Jack Nicholson, warned Heath Ledger about the emotional drain the part of the “Joker” can put on an actor. It wasn’t until audiences flocked to the box office to see the new Batman movie that they realized just how serious Ledger took on the role.

“His voice sent shivers through my bones,” an audience member was quoted as saying after seeing the Batman thriller. There are very few actors that can transform a role like Ledger did in The Dark Knight and his films live on in the hearts of audiences around the world. He took on a powerful role as a gay cowboy in “Brokeback Mountain” in which he kissed Jake Gyllehnaal and won an Oscar for his performance.

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