Employer Sanctioned for Unreasonable Delay in Paying Benefits

The Illinois Appellate Court upheld an award of penalties to an injured worker for his employer’s unreasonable delay in paying benefits. Vincent Secor worked for Concrete Structures of the Midwest as a journeyman concrete carpenter for more than 20 years. His job required repeated heavy lifting, squatting, kneeling and walking. On Jan. 12, 2017, Secor was instructed to lift a manhole cover to measure air quality. He and a co-worker used rebar hooks to lift the cover and move it. Secor said he felt a tearing sensation in his back as he slid the manhole cover. ...