A reader asks:
I am a store manager and it is in the worst part of town, it has been robbed before and they have had gang shoot outs where employees cars were shot. 12-24-10 i put the deposit bag in my right front pocket and walked 10 feet to my car. As soon as i got there a black male pulled a gun on me and told me to give him the cash, which i did. i went in the store called 911 and my dm, I can’t sleep and i am very scared to go to work, can u help me?
In general, every day stress cases under Illinois workers compensation law are not covered. If your boss yells, if you have a lot of work piling up, if it’s too much for you to handle, usually there is nothing that can be done if you just have a mental injury.
On the other hand, if what you experience is sudden and shocking then you might have a case even if there is no physical injury. Our reader would probably have a case because what happened to him doesn’t typically happen to the general public. If he went to a psychologist who felt he should be off of work he would likely get workers’ compensation benefits for both his medical care and his time off of work.
Moral of the story is that you should never assume you don’t have a case. These cases are much tougher to prove than if you got hurt lifting a box, but legitimate cases should and usually do prevail. So if you aren’t sure if you have a case or not just ask us.
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.
