The Illinois Workers Compensation Commission issued an emergency amendment Monday that creates a rebuttable presumption for front-line workers who contract COVID-19 — expanding the definition far beyond first responders and health care workers to include everything from grocery and pharmacy workers to hotel and funeral service employees. The emergency amendment revises the Illinois Workers Occupational Diseases Act to provide workers…
A man suffered serious injuries after being catapulted off a lawnmower in an incident he claims was the fault of negligence of the retailer and manufacturer. Charles Morgan, along with his wife, filed suit against Art’s Lawn Mower Shop of Missouri and the John Deere Company, following the alleged incident involving the X739 Signature Series Lawn Mower. The suit, filed…
A Southern Indiana machinery worker’s failure to follow warnings and instructions on a woodcutting machine he was using were the cause of injuries he sustained on the job, the Indiana Court of Appeals concluded on Monday. As such, the machinery’s manufacturer couldn’t have reasonably expected the accident. While working for wooden pallet producer American Fibertech, Kyle Hackney in November 2015…
Federal officials have cited three employers for workplace safety hazards after a worker suffered injuries at Northwestern University’s campus in Evanston, Ill. Northwestern University, Hill Mechanical Corp. and National Heat & Power Corp. collectively face a total of $235,962 in proposed penalties for exposing workers to permit-required confined space hazards associated with underground steam vaults, according to the U.S. Department…
The National Transportation Safety Board said that a northern Indiana school district is partially to blame for a 2018 crash that killed three siblings crossing a rural highway to reach their stopped school bus. The wreck was caused by a pickup truck driver’s failure to stop for the school bus, despite the vehicle’s activated and clearly visible warning lights and…
An ambulance that crashed into a car and killed its driver was not covered under an insurance policy, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Thursday. As a result, the insurer had no obligation to either the ambulance service or its employee. At the time of the accident, Markel Insurance Company insured United Emergency Medical Services’ fleet of ambulances. But…
Employees will be filing workers comp claims related to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it remains unclear what proportion of the claims will be compensable, a panel of experts said. Rules regarding occupational disease claims vary by state and in many cases workers will not be able to prove they contracted the disease at work, they said. However, the scope and…
The family of a Walmart Inc. employee in Illinois who died after contracting COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus, has filed a lawsuit accusing the retail giant of failing to adequately screen and protect workers. The lawsuit filed in Illinois state court on Monday by the estate of Wando Evans says the Walmart store south of Chicago was…
A Walmart employee is suing the retailer after she allegedly slipped and fell on a puddle of water. Stephanie Mosley filed the suit March 25 in Madison County Circuit Court against Walmart. According to her complaint, Mosley claims she was working at the Walmart Supercenter on Feb. 14, 2020. She claims she was walking in an area of the supercenter…
Drivers will be banned from using handheld cellphones on Indiana roads starting in July under legislation Gov. Eric Holcomb has signed into law to combat distracted driving. Holcomb signed the measure on March 18, making Indiana the 22nd state to prohibit drivers from holding or using a handheld mobile device while operating a moving vehicle. People violating the law after…
