Workers in Georgia always run the risk of getting hurt on the job. While many people cannot imagine that their everyday work tasks could put them in a position to get injured, sometimes unanticipated events can lead to an injury and a potential claim for workers' compensation.

Such a case happened with the head custodian at a Georgia school. One of her daily tasks was to unlock and open the gates to the employee parking lot every morning. In and of itself, this would not be considered a dangerous task or one where injury would even seem possible under normal circumstances. However, the situation where she got hurt was one that would not be encountered most days.

When the woman arrived for work that particular day, it was raining and dark, so she could not adequately see what she was doing. Therefore she pulled her car up close to the gates so she could see from the light projected by her headlights. However, she had apparently forgotten to put the car in park or to apply the parking brake, and the car began rolling downhill.

Upon seeing the car getting away, the custodian instinctively began to run toward it. Unfortunately she tripped and fell, and her vehicle ran over her foot, which was then amputated a few days later. She successfully received workers' compensation benefits, despite the fact that she was not technically doing her job at the moment she got hurt. She was, however actively pursuing a situation that had grown out of her regular work duties.

Georgia workers who have been hurt in a workplace incident owe it to themselves to consult with an experienced workers' compensation attorney who can help them work to recover the compensation they deserve.

Source: Risk and Insurance, "Benefits allowed for custodian's injury while trying to stop rolling car," Feb. 13, 2012