Type of Case: Workers’ Compensation
Legal Issue or Dispute: Denial of ankle injury claim which occurred at work
Facts: Our client was employed with one of the mining companies in northern Minnesota. His job duties required him to maintain and repair equipment within the facility. On the day he was injured, one of the machines in the plant malfunctioned and began to spew waste material into the air and onto the plant floor. Our client received a radio call to get to the machine, evaluate the problem and assist in any maintenance or repairs which might be necessary.
As he was hurrying across the concrete plant floor and approaching the malfunctioning machine, he rolled his ankle and suffered a severe ankle sprain. The floor was not wet and he did not recall stepping on, or tripping over, any hoses or other debris. He wasn’t even sure what happened except that he was hurrying because of the emergency and was looking up at the malfunctioning machine rather than at the floor.
The claim was completely denied by the employer and its workers’ compensation insurer on the grounds that the injury was not related to the employee’s work activities because he was simply walking across the plant floor at the time of the injury and there was no unsafe or dangerous condition in the plant or on the premises which caused the injury.
The case proceeded to trial before a workers’ compensation judge where we argued that the employee’s work environment caused or contributed to the injury because he was hurrying to deal with an emergency situation and not paying attention to the floor. His job duties required him to deal with the malfunctioning machine as quickly as possible and those factors are what caused or contributed to the injury.
Result: The compensation judge ruled in favor of our client and determined that his ankle injury was covered by workers’ compensation. The case was appealed by the employer/insurer and the Minnesota Workers’ Compensation Court of Appeals affirmed the judge’s decision and awarded benefits to our client.
The insurance company was also required to pay our attorney fees and costs.
If you have questions about any aspect of your northern Minnesota work comp claim, please feel free to contact me at Bradt Law Offices at any time. I am happy to speak with you about your claim or make an appointment for an absolutely free consultation in our Grand Rapids office or wherever it would be convenient for you. We have been representing your friends and neighbors on their work comp claims all across northeastern Minnesota and the Iron Range for more than 30 years. If you’ve been injured, we can help.
Thank you for visiting our blog.
