You Did What At Work?! Three Of The Most Bizarre Worker's Compensation Cases That Actually Won
Posted on: 17 June 2016
A worker's compensation case can be difficult to win in some situations. After you prove your injury happened while on the clock and was a direct result of work, you have to spend the time going through a lengthy case in the courts. Some people strike it lucky, however. Below are some of the craziest cases of worker's compensation where the courts ruled in favor of the employee.
Be Smarter Than The Machine
In 2009, a retail store employee filed for worker's compensation after he broke his hip battling a vending machine. Clinton Dwyer attempted to help a fellow employee free a snack from a vending machine in the break room. When he threw all of his weight against the machine, the snack broke free, as did Dwyer's hip.
Though his place of work challenged the verdict, the court approved his worker's compensation saying that because Dwyer was helping out a co-worker, his actions were protected by the Good Samaritan law.
The "Bear" Necessities
Feeding animals isn't an easy task, especially if you are under the influence. Brock Hopkins, a volunteer at a Montana animal facility found this out the hard way when he smoked marijuana before feeding the bears that were in his care. Once inside of the cage, a bear attacked him.
The owners of the animal park tried to fight the worker's compensation case. They claimed that since Hopkins was under the influence of drugs, he should not be granted worker's compensation. They also argued that he had no rights to compensation since he was only a volunteer and not an actual employee of the park. The courts sided with Hopkins and reasoned that because bears are dangerous and unstable in their behavior, the drugs had nothing to do with the attack.
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
While on an important business trip, a woman from Australia found herself on the receiving end of worker's compensation case. During sex in her hotel room one night, things got a little passionate and she accidentally broke a hotel lamp with the back of her head. The woman filed for worker's compensation, citing head trauma and emotional distress.
While the woman's employers denied the compensation, saying that she was not supposed to be having sexual relations while on the clock, she appealed the case three times. Finally, on the third attempt, the courts sided with her. They stated that the woman was on official business when the accident occurred so it needed to be covered.
Worker's compensation cases are sometimes tricky. You have to go through various hoops to prove that your claim is even substantial before dealing with hours of court proceedings. However, if you are lucky, you can end up like one of the people listed above with a crazy worker's compensation tale to tell. Visit http://www.grdlaw.com/ to learn more about a workers compensation lawyer in your area.
Share