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Does accident insurance pay if I fall after drinking alcohol in Germany?

In short

Does accident insurance pay if I fall after drinking alcohol in Germany? Under the model terms AUB 2020 it does not if an alcohol related disturbance of consciousness caused the fall; staggering into a building pit is the example given. Having had a drink is not enough for the exclusion. Some tariffs include drunkenness. For an office job cover costs about EUR 60 to 180 a year.

Does accident insurance pay if I fall after drinking alcohol in Germany?

What it costs

Premiums for private accident insurance in Germany with a EUR 100,000 basic sum and 350 percent progression.

ExampleTypical range
Adults in an office jobabout EUR 60 to 180 a year
Adults in manual tradesabout EUR 120 to 260 a year
Seniors aged 60 or 70 and overabout EUR 120 to 460 a year
Children, classic children's accident coverabout EUR 50 to 100 a year

Premiums as of July 2026 from publicly quoted tariff examples.

Whether including drunkenness costs more depends on the provider.

The amounts in the worked example are a guide value from our quoting practice;

we obtain the exact quote as your broker.

Worked example

Broken wrist on the way home, basic sum EUR 100,000

After a party an insured person falls on the way home. A restriction of the hand remains, which the doctor assesses at one fifth of the value of the hand.

Value of the hand in the limb table55 percent
One fifth of that11 percent disability
Benefit with EUR 100,000 basic sumEUR 11,000
Model terms, intoxication was the causeEUR 0

With drunkenness included, or if alcohol was not the cause, the insurer pays EUR 11,000. Under the model with an alcohol related fall you get nothing.

What the model terms say about alcohol

The fall itself is an accident, because the ground acts suddenly on your body from outside. The model terms AUB 2020 of the German insurers' association (GDV) still exclude accidents caused by disturbances of consciousness and name alcohol consumption as a possible cause. Such a disturbance exists if your perception and reaction are impaired so much that you can no longer cope with the specific danger.

Two of the four examples in the terms concern alcohol: someone leaves the road in a car under the influence, and someone staggers home from a pub because of alcohol and falls into a building pit. The model sets no fixed blood alcohol limit.

Cause or just circumstance: that is the question

The exclusion covers accidents caused by the disturbance. Having been drinking is not enough; the alcohol must have caused the fall. If a cyclist knocks you over on the pavement after two glasses of wine, the wine was not the cause. If you slip on an icy step where a sober person would have fallen too, the question is at least open.

The clearer an outside cause such as ice, a broken step or a push can be seen, the better you can show that alcohol did not trigger the fall. Write down early what exactly happened, and name witnesses who can confirm the ice, the step or the obstacle.

Tariffs that include drunkenness

The model terms are not binding, and insurers may deviate in your favour. Some sets of terms expressly include disturbances of consciousness caused by drunkenness. When driving a motor vehicle, the inclusion then usually only applies below a blood alcohol limit. One insurer published tariff levels with limits of 0.8, 1.1, 1.5 and 1.6 per mille.

For your question the part without a car matters most: if drunkenness outside road traffic is included without a limit, the fall on the way home on foot is covered. In the published tariff levels drugs remained excluded.

TermsFall on foot after drinkingAccident at the wheel after drinking
Model terms AUB 2020no cover if intoxication was the causeno cover if intoxication was the cause
Tariff including drunkennesscoveredcovered below the tariff's limit
Accident not caused by alcoholcoveredcovered

Further reductions

Even if the fall is covered, the insurer checks whether illness or infirmity contributed to the consequences. If that share is 25 percent or more, the disability benefit is reduced accordingly.

Deadlines also apply to the disability benefit: the disability must arise within 15 months of the accident, be certified in writing by a doctor and be claimed from your insurer within that time.

Report honestly, even if you had been drinking

Report the accident even if you expect an exclusion. Only the exact wording shows whether your tariff pays, and the deadlines run regardless. Do not hide the alcohol: emergency doctors and hospitals often record it, and false statements can cost you the claim.

When you do not need a special tariff: if you rarely drink more than one glass, the exclusion hardly matters to you. A sufficient basic sum and a suitable limb table (Gliedertaxe) are more important then.

Step by step

  1. Get medical treatment straight away and have the injury documented.
  2. Write down what happened: where, what you tripped over, who saw it.
  3. Report the accident to your insurer and state the alcohol honestly.
  4. Check your terms for the section on disturbances of consciousness.
  5. Have the disability certified and claim it within 15 months.

Checklist

  • Read the disturbance of consciousness section in your own terms
  • Drunkenness included, limit noted
  • Photos of the place, the step or the ice
  • Names and phone numbers of witnesses
  • Doctor's report with date and diagnosis

Common mistakes

  • Hiding the alcohol and risking the whole claim
  • Not reporting because you think the exclusion is certain
  • Missing the 15 month deadline for disability
  • Choosing a policy on price alone and missing the drunkenness inclusion

Questions and answers

Frequently asked

At what blood alcohol level does accident insurance stop paying?

The model terms set no limit.

What matters is whether alcohol impaired your perception and reaction so much that it caused the

accident.

Tariffs with an inclusion often set a limit only for driving.

Am I still covered after one glass of wine?

As a rule yes.

Only accidents caused by a disturbance of consciousness are excluded,

and the fall must result from it.

Does insurance pay if someone pushes me over while I am drunk?

If the push and not the intoxication was the cause, the exclusion does not apply by its wording.

Note the witnesses.

Does this also apply to medication and drugs?

Yes, the model terms also name medication and drugs as causes.

In published tariffs that include drunkenness, drugs remained excluded.

Can I add the drunkenness inclusion later?

Often by switching tariff with the same insurer or taking out a new policy.

Accidents before the change are judged by the old wording.

What about falling at the office Christmas party?

For private accident insurance the same applies as anywhere else:

the question is whether an alcohol related disturbance of consciousness caused the fall.

Sources

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