2 MORE WEIRD WORKERS’ COMP CLAIMS
Each month in the Justice Monthly, we look around for some of the weirdest workers’ compensation claims from the past few years. And every month, we’re surprised by these bizarre cases — it really shows you that the world is always stranger than you might think, even after years of working in the law. STONED BEAR FEEDER GETS COMPENSATION When a certain Mr. Hopkins became an employee of the “Great Bear Adventures” bear park, he probably didn’t expect to ever
In response, the Workers’ Compensation Court Judge James Jeremiah Sheah stated that “when it comes to attacking humans, grizzlies are equal opportunity maulers, attacking without regard to race, creed, ethnicity, or marijuana usage.” He ruled that Hopkins was indeed an employee and was entitled to benefits under the law. WHEN YOU CLIMB OUT A WINDOW ONTO THE ROOF, YOUR FALL IS NOT COMPENSABLE After bar-hopping between three different establishments one night in upstate New York, a budget examiner and a pair of her colleagues were hanging out in the second-story suite of their small hotel when they had an idea. A couple of bad decisions later, they were relaxing on the roof. The budget examiner leaned against a railing when it suddenly broke, leaving her injured on the ground. She filed a workers’ compensation claim, but during evidence collection it came up that roof access wasn’t just a matter of opening a second-story door — the team had clambered out of a small bathroom window to get up there. Therefore, her conduct was unreasonable, and the injury didn’t arise out of the course of her employment. She appealed this decision, but to no avail. Her case wasn’t compensable.
have to battle a grizzly bear face-to-face. (One might argue, though, that anybody hired to feed wild bears is putting themselves at risk …) At any rate, Hopkins definitely didn’t deserve what happened to him one day when a huge grizzly turned on him during a feeding session and inflicted severe injuries. Soon after, Hopkins filed for workers’ compensation benefits, but in response, his boss asserted that he wasn’t an employee at all — he was a “volunteer.” What’s more, he argued, Hopkins had been smoking weed that morning, which had probably been the reason he lapsed and got attacked in the first place.
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Kielbasa Kabobs
This take on the classic Italian sausage and peppers uses fully cooked Polish kielbasa so you can prep the kabobs and bring them to your next cookout.
Ingredients •
2 pounds fully cooked smoked kielbasa
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2 cloves garlic, minced
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2 large onions
1/4 cup olive oil
2 green bell peppers 3 red bell peppers
Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions 1. Heat grill to medium. 2. In a small bowl, combine oil, garlic, and a pinch of salt and pepper. 3. Cut pepper, onion, and kielbasa into 1-inch chunks.
4. Thread onto skewers, alternating ingredients. 5. Brush with oil mixture and grill, covered, 10–12 minutes. Inspired by Good Housekeeping
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