Getting thrown off a mechanical bull can be a work related injury
We just took on the Illinois workers' compensation claim of a woman who severely injured her shoulder while at a bar riding a mechanical bull. She didn't work at the bar, so how is this a claim?
This woman is an Illinois resident who was hurt while attending a seminar in another state. As a result she is considered a traveling employee. The law in Illinois work injury cases is that if you are a traveling employee, almost any injury you suffer while traveling for the benefit of your employer is covered as a work related injury. In this case, even though she was out at a bar, the woman wouldn't have been in the bar or the state where she got hurt if it wasn't for employer.
It sounds like a crazy law, but it is what it is and it benefits workers. You could be showering at home getting ready for work and slip and wouldn't have a case. But if you were at a hotel and fell you would have a case.
The law originally rose from a worker that got hurt in Hawaii while riding a bicycle around a volcano.
So if you are a traveling employee and get hurt, even when you aren't furthering the interests of your employer, you might have a case.
We are workers' compensation attorneys that help people with Illinois work injuries anywhere in IL via our statewide network of attorneys. Contact us and we will answer your questions or find the right lawyer for your situation.
