Insurance broker / Insurance questions / Accident insurance

What counts as an accident in German accident insurance?

In short

What counts as an accident in German accident insurance (Unfallversicherung) is an event that suddenly acts on your body from outside and injures you against your will, such as a fall from a ladder. Most policies also cover strained or torn muscles, tendons and ligaments from increased physical effort. Wear and tear is not an accident, and slipped discs only count if an accident caused more than 50 percent.

Request a quote +49 3375 29 12 77

What it costs

What private accident insurance costs that pays under this definition. Guide values from published tariff examples with a basic sum of EUR 100,000 and 350 percent progression.

Example	Typical range
Adult, office job	about EUR 60 to 180 a year
Adult, manual trade	about EUR 120 to 260 a year
Child up to 17	about EUR 3 to 8 a month
Aged 60 to 70	about EUR 120 to 460 a year

As of October 2026, from publicly quoted tariff examples.

Definitions and exclusions come from the VVG and the GDV model terms AUB 2020, as of June 2025;

your policy may differ.

Whether a policy with a wider accident definition costs more is a guide value from day-to-day

quoting practice: often only a few euros a year.

We obtain the exact quote for you.

Worked example

Three shoulder injuries, three outcomes

A 52 year old has accident insurance with a basic sum of EUR 100,000. Under the limb table (Gliedertaxe) in the model terms a whole arm counts as 70 percent. Each time her shoulder is left two tenths impaired, which means 14 percent disability. Progression does not apply below 25 percent.

Falls from a ladder, shoulder tendon tears	accident, 14 percent of EUR 100,000: EUR 14,000
Tendon tears while lifting a full crate of drinks	accident through increased physical effort: EUR 14,000
Same as above, wear contributes 40 percent	disability drops to 8.4 percent: EUR 8,400
Tendon tears while combing her hair, no outside cause	no accident, EUR 0

The same impairment can bring EUR 14,000 or nothing. What decides is how it happened and whether wear played a part. Write down exactly what happened straight away and tell your doctor.

The definition in German law

The German Insurance Contract Act (Versicherungsvertragsgesetz, VVG) defines an accident by four criteria in section 178: something acts suddenly on your body from outside, and as a result you involuntarily suffer damage to your health. If one criterion is missing, the law does not see an accident, even if it felt like one to you.

Sudden means within a short time, not creeping up over weeks. From outside means something beyond your own body is involved, such as the ground when you fall, a branch, another car or a dog bite. Involuntary means you did not want the injury. You do not have to prove that: the law presumes it until the insurer shows otherwise.

Event	Accident under the model terms?
Slip on an icy pavement, broken wrist	yes
Wood splinter flies into your eye while chopping logs	yes
Strained forearm during a pull-up	yes, through increased physical effort
Shoulder dislocated while catching a heavy box	yes, through increased physical effort
Meniscus tears when standing up from a squat, with no outside cause	no, the meniscus is not part of the extension
Slipped disc while tying your shoes	no
Heart attack while jogging	no, the cause lies inside the body
Fall caused by an epileptic seizure	usually excluded, unless the seizure results from an earlier insured accident
Anxiety disorder after a road accident	excluded as a psychological reaction, the broken leg itself is covered

Increased physical effort: the important extension

Many sports and lifting injuries happen without any outside impact. To keep them from falling through the net, the model terms of the German insurance association GDV (AUB) widen the definition: if a joint in your arms, legs or spine dislocates, or a muscle, tendon, ligament or capsule is strained or torn through increased physical effort, that counts as an accident too.

Increased means more muscle power than everyday movements need, measured against your own physical condition. The meniscus and spinal discs are expressly left out. Some policies go further and also cover your own movements or meniscus damage. That has to be written in your policy wording, it does not come from the law.

When there is an accident but no payment

Even if an accident happened, the model terms exclude some cases. These include accidents caused by impaired consciousness from alcohol, medication or drugs, as well as strokes and seizures. Psychological reactions such as post traumatic stress, infections apart from exceptions like rabies, tetanus or tick borne encephalitis (FSME), and radiation damage are excluded as well.

Spinal disc damage and bleeding from internal organs or in the brain are only covered if the accident was the main cause, meaning more than 50 percent. Better policies drop or narrow single exclusions. Comparing these points matters more than comparing premiums.

When existing wear plays a part

Accidents often hit a body that already has some damage. The insurer then checks how much illness or wear contributed to the injury and reduces the payment by that share. The model terms give an example: 10 percent disability with 50 percent contribution from rheumatism results in 5 percent.

Below a threshold set in your policy there is no reduction. Many policies use 25 percent, better ones a higher figure. If you are around 50 or older and your joints show signs of wear, this threshold is often worth more than any extra benefit.

When you do not need private accident insurance

Private accident insurance only pays for the results of accidents. It does not cover illness, which causes most long term health problems. If you already have income protection insurance (Berufsunfähigkeitsversicherung) and no risky hobbies, check first whether your money would do more there.

For children, self employed people without other cover, retirees and anyone with risky sports it often makes sense, because income protection is missing or does not apply for them.

Step by step

Write down on the same day what happened, when, where and who saw it.
Tell the doctor clearly that it was an accident and how it happened.
Report the accident to your insurer, even if the effects still seem minor.
If an impairment remains, have it confirmed by a doctor and claim it within the deadlines.
Ask for the reasons in writing if the insurer disputes the accident or cites wear.
When buying a policy, look for a wider accident definition and a high wear threshold.

Checklist

Increased physical effort covered
Meniscus and own movements included if you need them
Wear threshold at 25 percent or higher
Impaired consciousness only excluded in a narrow form, for example above a set alcohol level
Infections from tick bites included
Deadlines for permanent disability known and noted

Common mistakes

Only describing pain at the doctor's and not mentioning the accident
Not reporting an accident because the injury first looked harmless
Assuming every tear during sport is automatically an accident
Letting the 15 month deadlines pass because treatment is still going on
Choosing a policy only by the basic sum without reading the accident definition

Questions and answers

Frequently asked

Is twisting your ankle while walking an accident?

Often yes, if the ground was uneven or you tripped, because then something outside acted on you.

If a ligament tears, the extension for ligaments applies as well.

Describe exactly what happened.

Is a tick bite an accident?

The bite comes from outside,

but the model terms exclude infections, with exceptions such as tick borne encephalitis.

Lyme disease is only included in some policies.

Does a slipped disc count as an accident?

Only if an accident caused more than 50 percent of it, for example a heavy impact.

A slipped disc while bending down without any outside cause is not covered.

Is a heart attack an accident?

No, the cause lies inside the body.

That is a matter for health insurance and possibly income protection, not accident insurance.

Who has to prove it was an accident?

You have to describe the event and its effects.

The law presumes you did not hurt yourself on purpose; the insurer has to prove otherwise.

Is the definition the same in statutory accident insurance?

Not quite.

Statutory accident insurance only covers you at work,

on the way there and in some volunteer roles, with its own rules.

Private cover applies around the clock under your policy.

Are accidents under the influence of alcohol covered?

Not under the model terms if impaired consciousness caused the accident.

Many policies relax this and set an alcohol limit, which is worth comparing.

Sources

NAMMERT insurance broker

Request a quote: Accident insurance

We compare insurers and come back to you, in English.

Free; the insurer pays our fee.

1Who is it for?

Personal My company

2Which insurance?

Choose as many as you like. For each one, the details an insurer needs for a quote appear below.

Personal

Business

Please review all my existing policies

3Details

Personal accident insurance (private Unfallversicherung)

Who should be covered? *

Year of birth (if several people: the oldest) *

Your job *

Be specific, for example software developer in an office, or electrician on building sites

Preferred base sum for permanent impairment *

Any high-risk sports or hobbies?

For example motorcycling, diving, climbing, paragliding

Any existing disability or serious pre-existing condition? *

Anything else that matters to you

For example accident pension, cover when travelling home, help at home after an accident

4Your current policy

Current insurer Policy ends on What matters more to you?

5How can we reach you?

Name * Email * Phone Postcode Town Preferred contact Anything else we should know