A 25-year-old man who died after passing a truck on his motorcycle in a no-passing zone wasn't committing a crime at the time of the accident, so his wife can collect on his life insurance policy, a federal judge has ruled.

Sun Life Assurance Co., which had issued De'Marcus Locklear an accidental death policy worth $71,000, had denied Samantha Locklear's claim to the funds because, it said, the provision in the policy on death during the commission of a crime would void the policy.

Looking to Pennsylvania law, U.S. District Judge Matthew W. Brann of the Middle District of Pennsylvania said, “Pursuant to a plain reading of the statute, Pennsylvania courts have repeatedly emphasized that, to constitute a crime in Pennsylvania, an offense must carry the possibility of imprisonment or death.”