THE WINDMILL WOMAN AND THE VICIOUS GOOSE This Month’s Wild Workers’ Comp Claims
Each month in the Justice Monthly, we cover a few of the strangest workers’ compensation claims from history. This month, we’ve got dangerous geese, flailing arms, and steep (though undoubtedly reasonable) payouts for both. GOOSE GANG ROUGHS UP ILLINOIS EMPLOYEE Nolan Lett was on his way into the office when he was suddenly confronted with a pair of feathery bouncers blocking the door: two Canada geese. In the interest of avoiding a “fowl” confrontation, he went around to another entrance, only to come face-to-face with an even more menacing goose standing between him and the door. Out of options, Lett decided to grit his teeth and sidle around, giving the honking hazard a wide berth.
[his] face.” Though Lett avoided getting pecked to death, when he bolted off, he suddenly tripped and fell down hard, breaking his wrist in the process. Since he was injured performing normal job duties and his employer hadn’t warned his team about the gangs of geese roaming the property, he was awarded almost $18,000 in workers’ compensation for his injuries. WILD WINDMILL WOMAN WRENCHES WRIST As they say, it’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt. When Ohio employee Amy Sanders was on her way to the fax machine, she testified that her co-worker, Ryan Fridd, jumped out in an effort to scare her, pushing her down with both arms. Now, this probably sounds like a heinous assault — until you consider that horseplay was apparently a regular thing around the office. Fridd testified that Sanders had been engaged in horseplay with another co-worker just before he jumped out at her, swinging her arms “like a windmill” — as apparently she was prone to do often. She was awarded workers’ compensation benefits, but soon afterwards, she sued Fridd for damages. The jury upheld Fridd’s side of the story, deciding that damages were a bridge too far — though this writer wonders if she’s still somewhere out there, windmilling her arms around another office hallway.
Despite his efforts, in a scene straight out of “The Birds,” the beast hissed and lunged. “It started
acting crazy,” Lett told the Chicago Sun-Times. The
bird then “flew at
Have a Laugh!
Father’s Day Chili Lime Chicken Wings
This Father’s Day, spice up your wings with this zesty recipe that’s sure to please the whole family.
Ingredients •
4 pounds chicken wings 1 stick unsalted butter, softened 1 1/4 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
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1/4 cup soy sauce
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1 lime, halved
Extra-virgin olive oil
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Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper Chopped cilantro for garnish
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1/4 cup honey
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Directions 1. Heat oven to 425 F. 2. Rinse wings under cold water and pat dry. Season liberally with salt and pepper, and drizzle with olive oil. Roast on a baking sheet for 25 minutes or until skin becomes crisp and brown.
3. Blend butter, red curry paste, honey, and soy sauce in a large mixing bowl. 4. Toss wings in butter mixture. Squeeze lime juice on top, transfer to serving plate, and garnish with cilantro. Inspired by foodnetwork.com
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