If you pass out at work and get hurt, it’s not automatically covered under Illinois workers’ compensation. You have to look at what caused you to pass out, and what caused your injury when you (presumably) fell as a result. Generally speaking, you are only covered for an injury after passing out at work if your job somehow increased your risk of injury. What happens if you hit your head on something on the way down?
In Illinois, workers who are hurt on the job are entitled to benefits such as payment for lost wages if they can’t work and coverage of all reasonable medical bills. In order to get these benefits, an injury must arise out of and in the course of your employment, meaning that it doesn’t just happen at work but it is somehow related to your job.
If you pass out at work and fall to the ground, you’ll likely suffer some sort of injury. If the reason you passed out is because of something at work, such as fumes, heat, etc., then it’s almost certainly a work injury. The trickier situation is when you pass out because of some pre-existing medical condition that you have, or for no known reason. It can still be considered a work injury if something in your work environment causes you extra harm when you fall.
For example, if you pass out while on a ladder, your fall is going to be much worse than if you were standing on the ground. If you were on the ladder doing something for work, then you’ll be able to get benefits. If you pass out while working on a machine, and fall into the machine, your injuries would be work related in a way that simply falling on the floor would not.
If your work injury is caused by a risk that is not specific to your job but rather a risk that the general public faces equally, such as a hard floor, then passing out and hitting the floor might not be covered by workers’ compensation in Illinois. But if there is something that increases your risk of injury, and that something is specific to your employment, then that’s a different story.
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.
