Split Supreme Court Upholds Award of Benefits to Worker for Injuries From Stairwell Fall

A divided Minnesota Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that a worker’s injuries from a fall while descending a staircase were compensable because the stairs posed a hazard that originated on the premises as part of her working environment. Laurie Roller-Dick worked for the CentraCare Health System. Roller-Dick fell down a set of stairs as she was leaving work, fracturing her left ankle. Roller-Dick had accessed the stairway from the second-floor administrative area where she worked, and they were not usually accessible to the general public. The stairway has railings on both sides, but ...