While at least 17 states have passed laws or issued orders that expanded access to workers’ compensation benefits for employees who contract COVID-19, many of those directives are creating new exposure for only a sliver of the workforce, new research by the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute shows. WRCI studied policies adopted by Alaska, Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota and Missouri in…
More than two dozen migrant workers from Texas allege they were sprayed with toxic pesticides while working in Illinois cornfields, according to a federal lawsuit. The workers, including teenagers, senior citizens and a pregnant woman, claim they were sprayed by a helicopter and plane treating fields in July and August 2019, despite wearing neon orange hats and backpacks. The 27…
A man claims he was injured when he fell to the ground after a dock ladder broke at a food processing facility in Chicago. Jeff Schneider filed a complaint Nov. 24 in the Madison County Circuit Court against Ebro Foods Inc., alleging negligence. According to his suit, Schneider was employed as a refuse collector for Waste Management. He alleges he…
A waste water treatment operation is accused of locating its dumping site near high voltage power lines after a man was shocked while unloading a tanker truck. Jon Orelt filed a complaint Nov. 18 in the St. Clair County Circuit Court against Ameren Illinois Company and Sauget Sanitary Development & Research Association, doing business as American Bottoms, alleging negligence. According…
The number of employees who may be covered by the various state laws and executive orders providing some level of compensability for workers who acquire COVID-19 on the job varies substantially based on workforce and the nature of the order, researchers from the Workers Compensation Research Institute found in a study released Tuesday. The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based WCRI used data from…
It has been more than eight months since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. and the impact on workers compensation claims continues to be less than predicted, experts say. In much of the country, the number of COVID-19 workers comp claims accepted — even in the 17 states with a presumption law or executive order that allows…
A truck driver is accused of driving with an overweight load and speeding, allegedly causing the truck to overturn and cause a collision. Michael Schroeder filed a complaint Nov. 18 in the Madison County Circuit Court against Bonanza Gold Trucking Inc., and John Patton, alleging negligence. Schroeder states in his complaint that he was driving a truck and hauling a…
A former Home Depot employee is suing a customer she alleges drove into her with his truck while she was attempting to load a box into his vehicle. Lisa Anderson filed a complaint Nov. 18 in the Madison County Circuit Court against David File, alleging negligence. Anderson was employed at the Home Depot located on Homer Adams Parkway in Alton,…
Nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses result in days away from work increased among private industry workers in 2019, compared with the prior year, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday. In 2019, the private sector reported 888,220 nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses resulting in days away from work. Last year, the BLS did not report this figure. According to…
A man claims Memorial Hospital and one of its orthopedic surgeons negligently performed a hip replacement surgery and caused him to suffer permanent damage. Patrick Holtgrove filed a complaint Nov. 5 in the St. Clair County Circuit Court against Gregory Simmons, M.D., Fairview Heights Medical Group, S.C., and Protestant Memorial Medical Center Inc., doing business as Memorial Hospital, alleging negligence….
