Court Clarifies Standard for Compensability of Injuries From Idiopathic Falls

The Utah Court of Appeals ruled that a worker can receive benefits for injuries she sustained from an idiopathic fall while she was working — if the injuries were made more severe by the environment in which she worked. Lillian Ackley worked for Lowe’s. In December 2014, Ackley was labeling a hammer when it began to slip. She grasped it more tightly, aggravating a ganglion cyst on her finger. The cyst burst, causing severe pain. She lost consciousness and fell to the floor. Ackley suffered a torn rotator cuff in her right shoulder, a non-healing scalp lesion and hearing...