There is a saying that no good deed goes unpunished. It’s usually the fault of the insurance company when it comes to Illinois worker’s compensation claims because they are always looking for a reason to deny you benefits even when they’ve already started paying on your case.
Every month I get a publication that highlights interesting cases that have been decided at a trial at the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission. One I got last month shows that when it comes to Illinois work injuries, your good deeds won’t get punished.
In a case they discussed, an employee at a department store got injured when he was investigating suspicious activity in the employer’s parking lot. He hadn’t been instructed to exit the building, but it wasn’t a reckless activity.
What happened in this case was that he was notified that a car was doing doughnuts in the parking lot. He called the police and then left the store to investigate what was going on. While doing that he fell on some ice and hurt his knee. The insurance company denied the case saying that when he fell, the injured worker was not doing something at the direction of his employer or conducting an activity he was obligated to perform.
The Commission didn’t take that argument noting that he was checking on the safety of the defendant’s employees and the general public in the parking lot. This activity was in the best interests of his employer. If you are a potential customer and see a reckless driver, you aren’t going to get out of your car. The ruling stated that it was reasonably foreseeable that he would step out of the store and check on the safety situation in the parking lot.
This is a great and correct ruling. Why should any worker get punished with medical bills and lost time from work when they were looking out for their employer when they got hurt? They shouldn’t and this guy didn’t. And that makes it a great day for injured workers in Illinois.
If you have questions about whether or not you have a case or about anything related to accidents on the job in Illinois, please contact us at any time. You can fill out the contact form or call us at (312) 346-5578.
