I learned a long time ago not to be in awe of celebrities or athletes. They are just people and if they didn’t have that one special skill they’d be just like anyone else. So while we’ve worked with pro athletes and some actors, for us it’s just another person.
All that said, I got a call from someone that has what I believe is an interesting case. It turns out that he’s in California, found our blog and wanted to ask a general question. I know an outstanding Los Angeles work comp attorney so I connected them as we only handle Illinois cases.
His job involves providing security to A list stars. He didn’t tell me who and I didn’t ask, but he did say it was a world famous pop star. But what I find fascinating is the work he does in general. His job is to be around his client, but not necessarily seen as security.
On the day he got injured, his client wanted to work out at the gym. So he went along and used machines near the client. He appears to the general public to just be working out, but if anything happens he springs in to action. Long story short, he was using an upper body machine and fell tightness in his shoulder. The next day he woke up and was really sore. He attributed that to normal working out.
The pain didn’t go away and finally he couldn’t lift his arm above his head. He went to the doctor who ordered a MRI and learned that he has a torn rotator cuff. Apparently the insurance company denied his case because he waited a week to go to the doctor.
I don’t know what the law is in California, but in Illinois he’d have a great case. While he admittedly loves to work out and does so all the time, he got injured while working out as part of his job. It would be no different than a member of the Chicago Bears injuring themselves in off season training. It’s part of the job and a unique risk to the job.
Hopefully he wins his case. Either way, it is a great example that even things that seem like atypical job activities can actually lead to compensable Illinois workers comp cases. Don’t ever assume that you don’t have a case because your situation isn’t like everyone else.
We are workers’ compensation attorneys who 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.
