Man Who Drove Trucks for Farm Was Agricultural Employee, Appellate Court Decides

An Indiana man injured while working on a farm cannot collect workers’ compensation benefits because, as in 11 other states, the Hoosier State excludes agricultural employees from its workers’ compensation scheme. Jimmy Dean Austin’s argument that he should be classified as a commercial laborer because he drove a semi truck around the farm fell flat before the Indiana Court of Appeals. The appellate court, which noted in its opinion that the semi trucks were licensed for farm use only, upheld the Workers’ Compensation Board’s classification of Austin as a farm e...