The 5 Most Bizarre Workers’ Comp Fraud Cases

If you’re injured at work, you probably expect that filling a worker’s compensation claim will go off without a hitch. The incident could have involved falling, stepping on a sharp object, or getting injured due to a faulty machine. There are a few bizarre cases that might make you gasp once you learn the details.

No Smoking

When two employees were asked to transport items that had been donated to their company from a store that sold Halloween decorations and fireworks, they thought that they could get the job done with ease. There are firework igniters called Talons, and there happened to be a box of Talons in the truck with the employees as they made their delivery to the company.

One employee had a cigarette while the other employee had a Talon. A spark from a cigarette ignited the Talon. When the firework went off, the driver had to quickly drive into a parking lot to help the passenger. Unfortunately, the employee was unable to get workers’ compensation because the injuries occurred due to lighting the cigarette.

Mermaid Tale

One day an employee in a bridal shop was trying to help a bride find just the right dress. The bride wanted a dress that was a mermaid style instead of a traditional design. However, the bride wore a larger size than the dress she chose.

The employee worked to get the dress on the bride, easily getting it over the woman’s head and upper body. When the dress reached the bride’s waist, the employee struggled to the point of losing her balance and falling. The employee injured her knee, but she was unable to obtain workers’ compensation due to the fall being an accident.

Fear of a Cemetery

Working in a cemetery can be rather quiet, but accidents can and do happen. When a cemetery employee is injured, in most cases they would be able to have their medical bills and lost wages covered by workers’ comp. You can visit this website for more information about workers’ compensation benefits for injured employees. One exception could be employees who interact the wrong way with digging equipment or caskets.

A pair of workers discovered that it’s not as easy as it seems to obtain these benefits when one worker poured gasoline in a bathroom occupied by the other. The worker in the bathroom was burned because the gasoline flowed along the floor. The compensation claim was denied because the incident involved horseplay instead of an accident while working.

Dogs at Home

Working from home is quite common for many people. When you work from home, you might encounter a few situations that could lead to an injury including:

• Getting cut using items provided by the company
• Having an object fall on you while working

One employee was trying to get a cup of coffee and tripped over her dog. The employee’s knee and hip were injured as a result of the fall.

Initially, the worker was allowed to obtain benefits. Once the court found that the employee was working from home at the time, the decision was reversed. This meant that the worker did not receive benefits after all.

Saving Others

The job of an EMT is to help other people. When two EMTs in New York were injured while they responded to a car accident, they thought that they would be able to obtain workers’ compensation benefits. The first EMT had a stroke while driving to the accident scene. The second EMT had an aortic aneurysm after stopping to check on the first EMT. There has not been a decision in court regarding this situation.

Another claim by a firefighter was denied in court. Before using the bathroom, a fellow firefighter put small fireworks in a toilet. When the first firefighter used the bathroom, the fireworks exploded and significantly burned the worker. However, the compensation claim was denied because it was considered a practical joke.