Court Says Fireman's Four On-Duty Falls Weren't Accidents

A firefighter was not entitled to disability retirement benefits for his injuries from four on-the-job falls, a New York appellate court ruled. Case: Matter of Witts v. DiNapoli, No. 521781, 03/17/2016, published. Facts: Stephen Witts worked as a firefighter for the City of New Rochelle. He claimed that he hurt himself while fighting a house fire in 1991 when he tripped over a hose line that his fellow firefighters had pulled into the home. Witts said he hurt himself at another house fire in 2003 when he slipped on a toy while descending an attic staircase in heavy smoke. He further alleg...